Fitness-for-Purpose Assessment of Misaligned Welds

Despite many years of research, an understanding of the effect of misalignment is far from complete. This study is focused on an experimental assessment of the interaction between high-low misalignment (hi-lo) and defect tolerance of girth welds subjected to remotely applied plastic strains. The paper highlights the beneficial effect of weld strength overmatch on straining capacity and inherent conservative assumptions made in a standard ECA analysis.