CHARACTERISTICS OF ROLLED H SECTION STEEL WELDS JOINTED BY NEWLY DEVELOPED FLASH WELDING SYSTEM

In the civil engineering and architecture fields, welding for large sectional members, such as I section steel and H section steel, are usually performed. a flash welding system, by which large I section steel or H section steel can be welded for a short time, was newly developed. In order to know the basic characteristics of welded joints, the specimens were cut out from flash welded joints, and tensile and fatigue experiments were carried out. The joint efficiency of welded joints by flash welding is 100% for the specimens with reinforcements and 93% for without reinforcements. The fatigue strength of welded joints with reinforcement was about 50% of that of the base metal. Removing the reinforcement generated by flash welding, fatigue strength of flash welded joints became 75% of that of the base metal. In case of flash welded joints with reinforcements, after a couple of fatigue cracks had propagated, ductile fracture occurred at the toe. In flash welded joints without reinforcements, fracture occurred at the bond or at HAZ (Heat Affected Zone). In case of fracture at the bond, fracture was brittle, and in case at HAZ, fracture was ductile.