# Stress Concentration Factors for Non-Load-Carrying Welded Cruciform Joints Subjected to Tension, Bending, and Shear

## TL;DR

This paper calculates stress concentration factors in welded joints under tension, bending, and shear using finite element analysis.

## Contribution

New high-accuracy parametric expressions for stress concentration factors in non-load-carrying cruciform joints are derived.

## Key findings

- Theoretical stress concentration factors were derived with less than 2.5% error compared to numerical values.
- Parametric expressions were obtained for tension, bending, and shear loading modes.
- The solutions are valid even when the weld toe radius approaches zero.

## Abstract

This paper deals with the problem of stress concentration at the weld toe of non-load-carrying-type plate cruciform joints under tension, bending, and shear. Theoretical stress concentration factors were derived using the finite element method. Five of the most important geometrical parameters: the thickness of the main plate and the attachments, the weld throat thickness, the weld toe radius, and the weld face inclination angle were treated as independent variables. For each loading mode—tension, bending, and shear—parametric expression of high accuracy was obtained, covering the range used in real structures for cruciform connections. The maximum percentage error was lower than 2.5% as compared to numerical values. The presented solutions proved to be valid for the toe radius ρ tending to zero.