An experimental and finite element study of the low-cycle fatigue failure of a galvanised steel lighting column

Wood, James and Alexander, Louise A. and Taylor, Ian (2009) An experimental and finite element study of the low-cycle fatigue failure of a galvanised steel lighting column. In: NAFEMS World Congress and Exhibition, 2009-06-16 - 2009-06-19.

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Abstract

This paper presents the results of a low-cycle fatigue test on a lighting column. The wind induced vibration phenomena responsible for low cycle fatigue in such structures is discussed and the failure mechanism is examined. It was initially thought that poor quality weld detail was the major influence on the fatigue life of such columns. However, the significant role of the galvanised coating in the failure process is also highlighted. The experimental results are compared with those from a detailed 3D finite element model. Various methods of calculating hot-spot stresses at welded joints are examined and use of a simple peak stress removal approach is shown to produce significantly different values compared with the other methods examined.

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