Comparison of the stress intensity factor of T and cruciform welded joints with different main and attachment plate thickness

The present study compares the stress intensity factor of T and cruciform welded joints containing Lack of Penetration defects and gives new results in the form of parametric equation coefficients for the T joint case. Cruciform and T welded joints with equal and unequal attachment and main plate thickness have been analysed by the finite element method. For the T welded joints the effect of different support spans has also been studied. Comparison of the results shows that in nearly all cases, the stress intensity factor of the cruciform joint is higher than the T joint.