ASSESSMENT OF WELD METALS BASED UPON THE "FITNESS FOR PURPOSE" PHILOSOPHY

The weld metals with different strengths are assessed by means of the general yielding criterion and the COD design curve method. The test results show that when the defect is located in the weld metal, overmatching weld will increase the possibility of meeting a general yielding not only under the static but also under the dynamic loading. Meanwhile, the limitation of the COD criterion in estimating the safety of welded structures is discussed also.