Strength of aluminium

members containing local

transverse welds
Y. F. W. Lai
Mitchell FacFarlane, Hong Kong
D. A. Nethercot
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
(Received April 1990; Revised January 1991)
High strength aluminium alloys when welded suffer a local loss of
strength due to the development of heat-affected zones (HAZ). The influence of such localized strength losses on the structural behaviour of
aluminium members is studied using a numerical technique. Attention
is given to the representation of the nonlinear stress-strain
behaviour of aluminium, in particular, its representation in a form
suitable for incorporation into numerical processes. Two finite element programs, previously developed for use with steel frame structures, have been modified to incorporate the special features of the
aluminium problem. Results are presented for a selection of examples
to illustrate the severity of the HAZ effect on the load carrying
capacity of structural memOers. The theoretical predictions have been
verified by comparison with bending tests on 5 nonwelded and 22
welded 7019 aluminium beams. Generally good agreement was
found between the theoretical predictions and experimental results
for all the tests.
Keywords: aluminium alloys, heat-affected zones, buckling welds
Most aluminium alloys used for structural applications
are heat-treated or work hardened e.g. 6000 series and
7000 series, to improve their mechanical properties.
However, when these alloys are welded, heat-affected
zones (HAZ) are formed in the parent metal adjacent to
the welds. These heat-affected zones possess inferior
material properties, the presence of which can lead to a
significant loss of strength for the member as a whole.
The reduction in 0.2% proof stress, 00.2, in this
annealed region has been .found to be approximately
25-50% of the original strength of the parent metal.
This effect is not, of course, confined to members
built-up by welding; welding an attachment to an
extruded section or using welding at the ends of a
member to attach it to other parts of the structure will
also produce localized HAZ effects. Although studies of
aluminium columns containing longitudinal welds have
been reported *, almost no work appears to have been
conducted to study the effect of transverse welds on
member strength. Sample results were given by Valtinat
and Muller2 but no general conclusions were presented.
The aims of this paper are to present the essential
features of two schemes for the numerical assessment of
the ultimate strength of aluminium columns, beams and
beam-columns, including the effects of HAZ material,
to validate the resulting programs by comparisons
against both existing data and a series of specially con-

ducted tests and to illustrate the use of these programs

by providing results for a selection of examples which
demonstrate the effects of local transverse welds. The
two programs, INSTAF and BIAXIAL, cover in-plane
behaviour and flexural-torsional buckling/biaxial
bending, respectively.
Notation
A
A*
E
E*
E,
L
L*
~x

Mo.~
?1
?1"

P
P

area of cross-section
area of heat-affected zone
Young's modulus of parent metal
Young's modulus of heat-affected material
tangent modulus
length of member
length of heat-affected zone
nondimensionalized
maximum
bending
strength of member about x axis (=Mx/M0.2x)
----Z~o0.2
knee factor of parent metal in RambergOsgood formula
knee factor of heat-affected material in
Ramberg-Osgood formula
axial force
nondimensional
maximum
compressive
strength of member (Pult/~o.2A)
ultimate compressive strength for nonwelded
member

0141-0296/92/040241-14
1992 Butterworth-Heinemann lad

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4 241

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot

ultimate compressive strength for welded

member
lateral point load
ultimate strength of nonwelded member under
lateral point load
ultimate strength of welded member under
lateral point load
lateral point load corresponding to achievement
of M0.z~ within cross-section
radius of gyration about x and y axes. respectively
plastic modulus of a section about x axis
elastic limit stress of parent metal
elastic limit stress of heat-affected material
0.2% proof stress of pareat metal
0.2 % proof stress of heat-affected material
ultimate tensile strength of parent metal
ultimate tensile strength of heat-affected
material
strain at rupture of parent metal
strain at rupture of heat-affected material
nondimensionalized modified slenderness of

Pu~l

O
Quit

Q*t

Qo.z~
r~, ~
o~
00.2

0o*.2
Oult

o~t
e1

beam (=(Mo.2x/Mcr) u2
, ~ky slenderness (L/r x, L/r>,)
nondintensionahzed

, ~y

slenderness

ratio

Oul t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

'z

E~tic r'igi~ (I pte~)

Figure I Piecewise form of Rembert-Osgood curve

The first term on the right-hand side of equation (1)

represents the elastic component of strain, whilst the
second term represents the plastic c o u n t
of strain.
If both equations are examined two undesirable features
are apparent

The analysis of the inelastic behaviour of aluminium

structures requires that a suitable representation for the
nonlinear stress-strain curve be used, since the
characteristic obtained from a tensile specimen cannot
be simplified to one of elastic/perfectly plastic behaviour
as is frequently the case for mild steel. The actual
stress-strain curve typically does not possess a definite
yield point, but rather a rounded zone or 'knee' or varying sharpness depending on the alloy designation. In
Britain, and indeed in most other countries, it is common practice to regard the 0.2% proof stress, 00.2, as
fulfilling the role of 'yield point' of aluminium.
From a study of various possible schemest'3-7, the
model proposed by Ramberg and Osgood L5-7 has been
selected as the most suitable because it is able to provide
a close representation of the actual behaviour of most
alloys. By using the minimum value of Young's
modulus, the Ramberg-Osgood curve gives a lower
bound to the experimental curves. Moreover, the
parameters required by the formula are commonly listed
for standard alloys in handbooks and specifications.
The Ramberg-Osgood formula is usually expressed

"

(hflr(Eloo.2) .2, hy/r(E/oo,2)1/2)

Stress-strain c u r v e s o f a l u m i n i u m alloys

Inelostic regton (- 5 0 Neces)

oI

the Ramberg-Osgood curve starts to deviate from

the linear elastic line a = E. e as soon as it leaves the
origin
e and E, are functions of o, ie, e =f(a) and
E, = f ( o )

Clearly the second term on the right hand side of equation (1) will be insignificant at low stress levels, the
curve effectively following the linear elastic line
(o = E . e). Computer programs that use an ultimate
strength approach to simulate buckling behaviour
usually require o as a function of e (i.e. o = f(e)).
Moreoever, since the standard computing technique will
be one of 'trial and error', the resulting nonlinear problem will require iteration techniques, e.g. direct iteration, Newton-Raphson method etc., to ensure the
required convergences. Thus it is computationally
much more convenient to modify the Rand~rg-Osgood
formula into a piecewise form (see Figure I). For the
inelastic and strain-hardening regions, dividing the
curve into approximately 50 pieces and 30 pieces,
respectively is sufficient for the difference in stress
between the original and piecewise form to be less than
0.1%. The tangent modulus Et, which may be determined from equation (2), can also be represented in this
manner. By adopting this approach the authors have
found that computer time is usually reduced by between
10 and 30 times as compared with direct use of equation
(]).

as

Elastic limit stress o f aluminiu_m alloys

+ O.O02(-~-a ~"
E
\o0.2 /

(1)

and the tangent modulus E,, is given by

E, -

do

de

1 + ((O.O0___2n)~( o "~"-'
E

242

0"0.2

//\0r0. 2 / /

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

As mentioned above, the a - e curve of aluminium alloys

exhibits neither a definite yield stress, nor a definite
elastic limit stress. It is therefore suggested that the formulae of Mazzolani 6 and Ramberg-Osgood ~'7 be
combined to obtain the expression for the elastic limit
stress oe as

(2)
ae = 1 - [1 - 2-=/"] m
00.2

(3)

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
N 0.6
,~ 0 . 5
0.4
0,3
0.2
0.1
0

Figure 2

tO

15

20

25
30
Knee rector, tt

Relationship between n and

35

40

45

50

oe/oo.2

shows Young's modulus of the heat-affected material as

being the same as that of the parent alloy but the 'yield
stress', 0.~.2' being reduced to between 50% and 75% of
the original value 9. Care is, however, necessary
because examination of the available 0.-e data for IffAZ
material may well suggest the use of a lower n-value
than for the parent material. Since this will give a
steeper curve at large strains and thus eventually higher
H A Z stresses, it is necessary to impose some form of
strain limit in the analysis. It is worth mentioning that a
more sophisticated representation of H A Z effects would
bc quite possible within the present analysis e.g. one that
recognised the H A Z as having variable properties
and/or a more complex shape; an improvement of this
type first requires that better quality measurements of
H A Z properties be available.
Description o f the I N S T A F p r o g r a m

where
m --- 2.30 - 1.7512 TM]
n = knee factor in Ramberg-Osgood formula
The relationship between 0.elao.2 and n is shown in
Figure 2. If the knee factor, n, of the
Ramberg-Osgood formula is used to classify the alloy,
equation (3) may be simplified to
for
5 _< n < 10

0.e =

10 _< n < 20 (nonheat treated alloys) 0.~ =

20 _< n < 40 (heat-treated alloys)

0.450"0.2
0.680.0. 2

o. = 0.81Oo.2

Stress-strain relationships of heat-affected

material
The stress-strain relationship of heat-affected material
(HAZ) can also be expressed by a Ramberg-Osgood
formula (see Figure 3), since the typical characteristic

500

Porent moteriol

E = 7 0 0 0 0 ( N/mm 2)
o'(~2= 2 5 0 (N/ram 2 }
n =25

250

qA

20O
HAZ moterial

E
Z

=. 150
O3

= 70(XX)(N/mm 2)
a~. 2 = 125(N/ram 2)
n = 10

100

5C

Figure 3

Typical strees-strain

5
6
Stroin (%)

curves f o r

IO

II

parent and HAZ material

In order to simulate the in-plane behaviour of various

aluminium sections, the INSTAF program (originally
prepared at the University of Alberta) to, which is based
on an ultimate strength 'plastic zones' approach, was
modified to handle the special problems of aluminium
structures. Originally INSTAF was restricted to the
analysis of braced and unbraced multistorey steel frames
composed of I-section members bending about their
major axes. The analysis is based on a stiffness formulation which accounts for geometric as well as material
nonlinearity, the influence of residual stresses and strain
hardening of the material. The formulation permits consideration of extended regions of yielded material rather
than discrete plastic hinges in beams and beam-columns,
resulting in finite element equations, with the NewtonRaphson method being used to solve for the overall loaddeformation characteristics of the structure.
Since the stress-strain relationship of the original
program was trilinear, the stress-strain curve had to be
modified into the piecewise form of Ramberg-Osgood
formula described previously. Moreover, the original
program could deal only with I-sections under major
axis bending. After the modifications INSTAF can
analyse aluminium frames or isolated members with
several different types of cross-section (I-section, Hsection, box-section, tee-section, channel and lipped
channel) under major and minor axis bending. The
modified INSTAF can also simulate the effect of
longitudinal and transverse welds within the member.
Members containing transverse welds are analysed by
dividing the member into several elements along their
length, using elements having reduced properties to
represent the heat affected zones adjacent to the
transverse welds. Because of the way in which each
cross-section is represented, it is also possible to deal
with HAZ that extends over only part of the section
depth and/or a part of the member length as shown in
Figure 4.
The results obtained from the modified version of
INSTAF have been compared with experimental results
obtained from the University of Liege "'12 and
theoretical results obtained by Hong ~. Some examples
of these comparisons are given in Figures 5 and 6; the
maximum difference between either the mean of the test
results and the INSTAF predictions or the two
theoretically obtained column curves is 5 %.

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

243

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot

Description of B I A X I A L p r o g r a m
,

The BIAXIAL program was originally developed for

steel members 13 and was then modified to simulate the
three-dimensional behaviour of aluminium members
having almost any open cross-section composed of a
series of fiat plates. BIAXIAL is a finite element program, in which the displacement method is used to
arrive at the force displacement relationships for a
beam-column element by considering the principle of
virtual work. It can follow the loss of stiffness due to
spread of yield within the cross-section and hence trace
the three-dimensional load-deflection response up to collapse. The effect of twisting and warping on stiffness is
taken into account, and residual stresses and initial outof-straightness are also included in the analysis. A
Newton-Raphson solution method is used. The
stress-strain relationship employed is again the
piecewise form of the Ramberg-Osgood formula. Both
longitudinal and local transverse welds within the
member may be allowed for using the same type of
approach as described for INSTAF.

one plate (minimum

5 pieces)

JjMoterial (~

/Material @

F// o/A

'

Figure 4

Discrotization and different location of w e l d s within

cross-section

1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7 T ~
0.6 ~ 0.5

_ | o m m

0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
o

\.

..~,,,,.

tp
I

0.2

0.4

o.o

o.8

l.o

,.'z

,!4

1.6

,.~

Figure 5 Comparison of INSTAF program with experimental

results obtained by University of Liege 11'12

I.I
l.O
0.9
0.8
0.7
i~, 0.6
0.5
0.4
0.2
0,2i
0.1
0
0

p-ZOOmm-~
_.

T~T,s.,~

Very little experimental data on the structural response

of aluminium members containing local transverse
welds are available. In order to check the basis of the
analytical approach utilized by INSTAF and BIAXIAL
a series of tests on welded beams has been conducted.
All the beams used were 7019 aluminium alloy with a
cross-section of a 50.9 mm x 102.2 mm rectangular
box. Due to the high torsional stiffness of the boxsection, the beams were expected to fail by simple
bending rather than by lateral buckling. In order to
represent the most commonly occuring welding situation
and to produce different extents of heat-affected zone s ,
two 7019 aluminium plates of varying lengths with
thickness 12.4 mm and approximate width 24.5 mm
were fillet welded to the top and bottom flanges of the
box section. The cross-sectional properties and the
average dimensions for the nonwelded and welded sections are shown in Figure 7.
Altogether 5 nonweldcd and 22 welded beams wcrc
tested. The beams with either 1200 m m or 2200 m m in
length and were simply supported over a span of
I000 m m or 2000 m m , respectively. The welded plates
were either located at mid-span, symmetrically at
quarter-span or near both ends of the span. Plates were
also welded for the wholc length of the flanges to represent the fully heat-affected beam. The details for the
beam designations, locations and length of the welded
plates are listed in Table 1. All the welding was done by
a qualified welder at the Royal Armament Research aria
Development Establishment (RARDE). The welding
wire was 1.6 mm diameter to the old British Standard
Registration designation NG61, which corresponds to
the Aluminium Association international designation
5556A.

Material properties and extent of heat affected

zone
01.2 0.4
1

o'.6 ot~ ,.'o ,.'~ ,.,= ,!~ ,I~ ~'.o L~ 2t,

~,x
Figure 6 Comparison of INSTAF and Hong 1 results (longitudinally welded columns)

244

Experimental verification

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

Before performing the beam tests, tensile coupon tests

were conducted in order to obtain the mechanical proparties of both parent and heat-affected material. All the

Strength of a/uminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot
R= 2.3rnm

~5.4mrn

Hardness surveys were carried out on all the beam

specimens to determine the extent of the heat-affected
zones. From these, it was found that the length of the
heat-affected zone was equal to the length of welded
plate plus 7.5 mm on both sides. Moreoever, it was also
found that both flanges and only parts of the webs were
affected by welding. The extent of heat-affected zone
penetration within the web extended to about 22.3 mm
measured from the mid-thickness of the flange, giving a
total area of the heat-affected zone of about 65 % of the
area of the original cross-section.

Cross-sectional properties

R = 3.2m~
f

= 1415.1

mmZ 1
/

2"x
rx

1.7996 x l0 s mm4~t~
/
35.7
mm J

IO2.2 turn

4.7 mm
---m

Testing procedure and instrumentation

a

50.9 mm

The complete set-up of the beam test is shown in Figure

8 and full details can be found in Reference 14. Each
beam was simply supported at its ends and loaded by
two vertical point loads. During testing, the total load on
the beam and the deflections at mid-span (Ac) and the
quarter-span were recorded automatically and all the
results were stored on the hard disk of the computer after
completion. For safety reasons, loading was not continued right up to failure, the tests being stopped when
the raid-span exhibited a reasonably large amount of
deflection.

~1

I 24.5mm_1
I-

-i

12.4 rnrn
._L
~" Fillet welds
Approximate cross-sectional

properties
A = 2548.1

mmZ /

Zx

4.8038 x 106 ram4 t ~

rx

45.2

mm J

and computer simulation

B e a m test results
using I N S T A F

All the experimental results were compared with the

theoretical predictions obtained by INSTAF, a complete
set of load-deflection comparisons is available in
Reference 14. Typical examples are provided as Figures
9 and 10 in the form of nondimensionalized plots of
Q/Qo.z, versus At/span x 100% for mid-span deflections where

b
Figure 7

Cross-sectional dimensions of test specimens

Q0z, -

coupon results can be fired with Ramsberg-Osgood

formulae (see Reference 14) and the results for the
parent and heat-affected material properties are summarized in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. All the heataffected coupons showed a reduction in strength, with
the mean ratios of a~l/ao.l~ 0"~.2/O'0.2 and a~t/a, lt being
0.62, 0.65 and 0.83, respectively.

M0.2x

0.3

(kN) for beams with spans of

1000 mm

or

Q0.2~ -

Mo.2x

0.8

(kN) for beams with spans of

2000 mm

2Q

~1~

50 ton load cell

II II II
/

Roller support

II

t~ LOodspreOder

Beam
5 0 mm
~400

mm

50 mm
==

Span = I O 0 0 m m or 2 0 0 0 r a m

I
Figure 8

srnl

1--

Beam test set-up

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

245

Strength o f aluminium m e m b e r s containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot

Table I Test scheme and specimen designation N, nonwelded beam; W, welded beam; P, parent metal; E, welded plates located near
the two ends; F, fully-welded
Location of welded plates

Length of welded plate

Specimen designation

i~

L 7"L

LTL = 1200 mm

LTL = 2200 mm

N - 1000-P- 1
N-IOOO-P-2

N -2000-P- 1
N-2000-P-2

W- 1000-L/2-1
W-1000-L12-2
W-1000-L/2-3
W- 1000-L/2-4

W-2000-IJ2-1
W-2000-L/2-2
W-20OO-L/2-3
W-2000-L/2-4

W-2000-L/4-1

~-i

Lwp

N-lOOO-P-3

LTL = 1200 mm

LTL = 2200 mm

(without welds)
~.. I"-

L wp

1
-(at mid-span)
6 0 0 mm

200

6 0 0 mm
~

50

i....i

--~ ~,--Lwp

200

W-2OOO-L/4-3

"~ F.--Lwp

(symmetrically at quarter-span)
150ram

150ram

r-!

I-1

W-10OO-E-1
W-IOOO-E-2
W-1000-E-3

-'t I'- Lwp

Lwp ---I I---

25

(near the t w o ends)

W-IOOO-F-1
W-IOOO-F-2

W-2OOO-F-1
W-2OOO-F-2
W-2000-F-3

wW- 1000-F-4

1200

2200

W- 1000-F-5
(along the whole specimen)
Specimen designation convention is as shown below:

~
Condition of
welding

W-lOOO-L/2-1 ~ _
Span of beam
during test

Location of
welded plate

Sequence number
for specimen

Table 2 Parent metal properties, n = In 211n(oo.21oo.1). All tensile coupons were obtained from beam N-IOOO-P-1
E

O0.1

GO. 2

(]rult

(Et

Specimen

Location

(N/ram2)

(N/ram2)

(N/ram2)

(N/ram2)

(%)

~=t/00.2

N- 1
N-2
N-3
N-4
N-5
N-6
N-7

Flange
Flange
Flange
Web
Web
Web
Web

68500
69800
68300
72000
72900
70200
74600

363
376
358
373
370
366
352

370
385
366
360
378
374
359

432
431
420
436
439
434
415

10.4
11.6
10,4
10.2
9.0
9.1
10.6

36.3
29.3
31.4
37.3
32.4
32.1
35.1

1.168
1.119
1.173
1.147
1.161
1,165
1.156

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

74600
68300
70900

376
352
365.4

385
359
373.1

439
415
429.6

11.6
9.1
10.3

37.3
29.3
33.4

1.173
1.119
1.155

Standard
deviation

2175.2

7.8

8.2

8.1

0.73

2.15

2.20

1.89

7.11

Coefficient
of variation
(%)

246

Eng. S t r u c t .

3.07

1 9 9 2 , V o l . 14, N o 4

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot
Table 3 Heat-affected properties, n = In 2/Io(o~.21~.~ ). (see Reference 6). All tensile coupons were obtained from top flange of beam
W-10OO-P-1
E*

~xil.1

o~.z

oust

E~

Specimen

(Ntrnm=l

iN/ram 2)

(NJRr~IR 2 )

(NJnlll~ 2 )

(%)

17

oru~t/ord.2

W-I
W-2
W-3
W-4
W-5

72900
72700
70700
69000
736OO

224
232
232
221
229

237
248
245
235
243

388
355
353
331
362

13.8
12.8
12.4
10.5
11.7

12.3
10.4
12.7
11.3
11.7

1.637
1.431
1.441
1.408
1.490

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

73600
69000
71780

231
221
227.6

248
235
241.6

388
331
357.8

13.8
10. 5
12.2

12.7
10.4
11.7

1.637
1.408
1.481

Standard
deviation

1691.6

4.4

4.9

18.3

1.10

1.94

2.02

Coefficient
of
variation

2.36

5.12

9.05

(%)

Figure 7, the values of

1.4

Q02,

are

1.2

I.C

Q0.2. = 68.1 kN

(specimen designation: W-1000F-l, W-IO00-F-2, W-IOOO-F-3,

W- 1000-F-4, W-10OO-F-5)

25.5 kN

(specimen designation: W-20OOF-l, W-2000-F-2, W-2000-F-3)

.gl-- ----o--

~O.E
\

a..,. ,N=~,,.~

0.6

W - I000 - L/2- I
IV-IOOO-L/2-2

0.4

w- ,ooo-L/z-4

I000- L/2-3

.....

~Meaa
....

0.2

= 57.5 IoN (other beam specimens with

span 1000 mm)

Minimum

~'~*~
0

I
'

|
2

I
:3

I
4

/
5

= 21.6 kN

I
6

!
8

I
7

(other beam specimens with

span 2000 mm)

6c/SPan x 100%
Figure 9

Compmison between test results and predicted loaddeflection curves at mid-span (specimen W-IOOO-L/Z

1.4
1.2

From Tables 2 and 3, it is clear that the mechanical properties for the parent and heat-affected material show a
certain variability. To take this effect into account, three
theoretical curves are shown in Figures 9 and 10, these
three curves being obtained by inputting the maximum,
mean and minimum values of 00.2 and o~.2, respectively
into the INSTAl: program. The effect of residual
stresses is neglected in the computer simulation.

1.0

~o.a
6

.~f

0.6

o W-2000-L/A-

~
j

0.2

76 rnm

~i

6.3mm

. W-2000-L/&-2
W - 2000- L/A-3

0.4

~,,

aeemde~g~tion

/~/~/

.....
Minimum
~ M e o n
. . . .
Maximum

~
~
I

Ac/spon x 100%

Figure 10 Comparison between test result and predicted curves

76 mm

4.3 mm

at mid-spen (specimen W-2000-L/4-1, 2, 3)

The mean value of Oo.2 is used to calculate Mo.2~ for

nonwelded cross-sections. For the partially heat-affected
cross-section, mean values of both 00.2 and 0~2 are
required. Therefore, for the cross-section shown in

Figure 11 Cross-section used for parametric studies (INSTAF)

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

247

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot
Table 4

Comparison between test results and theoretical results obtained using INSTAF program
Experimental
load

Specimen
designation

~c(max)
(mm)

Ao(max)
(mm)

Ornax
(mm)

N-10OO-P-2
N-IOO0-P-3

51.7
63.1

36.6
45.3

68.2
69.7

W-1000-4/2-1
W-1000-4/2-2
W-1000-4/2-3
W-1000-4/2-4

31.7
62.3
48.1
60.1

22.2
62.7
34.4
45.1

W-1000-E-1
W-1000-E-2
W-1000-E-3

61.1
65.9
64.4

W-IOO0-F-1
W-1000-F-3
W-1000-F-4
W-IO00-F-5
N-2OOO-P- 1
N-2000-P-2

030
(kN)

Mean of
experimental

Theoretical
load

Oso
(kN)

030
(kN)

Aso
(kN)

03o
(kN)

Oeo
(kN)

Difference
(%)

62,7
61.9

62.3

58.2

6.6

LB
LB

58.8
54.8
64.2
57.2

57.2
54.8
60.3
51.7

56.0

52.5

6.2

BF
LB

44.3
46.6
45.2

64.0
64.4
64.4

57.2
55.2
55.6

56.0

57.6

-2.9

LB
LB
LB

>51.9
>59.0
56.7
>54.0

>38.1
>41.0
>38.5
>38.5

>102.6
>104.2
>98.7
>97.9

88.5
87.7
89.3
89.3

88.7

80.3

9.5

NB
NB
NB
NB

126.7
128.7

79.9
82.2

23.0
23.6

20.0
20.5

20.3

20.0

1.5

LB
LB

W-2000-4/2-1
W-2000-4/2-2
W-2000-4/2-3
W-2000-4/2-4

208.5
155.2
105.3
>105.0

135.7
103.8
69.8
>67.8

20.7
23.6
23.7
>20.9

17.0
19.6
21.2
18.2

19.1

18.6

2.6

BF
BF
BF
BF

W-2000-4/4-1
W-2000-4/4-2
W-2000-4/4-3

>128.7
> 127.4
> 122.7

>83.0
> 81.9
> 78.2

>22.9
> 24.7
> 23.3

19.9
21.7
20,7

20.8

19.6

5.8

NB
NB
NB

W-2000-F-1
W-2000-F-2
W-2000-F-3

>153.4
> 144.6
>146.8

>98.5
>95.6
>95.9

>39.3
>38.6
>39.6

31,6
31.5
31,8

31.6

28.5

9,8

NB
NB
NB

Remark

LB

LB

030 corresponding applied lateral patch load when mid-span of beam deflects 3 0 mm
Qso corresponding applied lateral patch load w h e n mid-span of beam deflects 6 0 mm
Qmax maximum applied lateral patch load measured in test
Ac(max) maximum mid-span deflection of beam measured in test
Ao(max) maximum quarter-span deflection of beam measured in test
LB beam failed in local buckling
BF beam fractured during test
N8 no local buckling or fracture up to OmB~

C o m p a r i s o n s with test results

From Figures 9 and 10 (and the supplementary figures
of Reference 14) it can be seen that INSTAF generally
gives conservative predictions of the behaviour of
welded aluminium members. The loads which correspond to a central deflection of 30 mm and 60 mm for
beams with 1000 mm span and 2000 nun span, respectively have been chosen arbitrarily for comparisons.
Table 4 gives the theoretical values of Q3o and Q60
obtained by using the mean values of a0.2 and o~.2 (see
Tables 2 and 3) in INSTAF. The maximum difference
between the measured and predicted values of Q3o or
Q60 given in Table 4 is less than 10%, with the difference being largest for the fully-welded beams for
which the additional area of fillet weld was neglected in
the simulation since complete fusion over their full
length did not appear to have been achieved. It is considered that the comparisons of Figures 9 and 10 and
Table 4, when taken in association with the earlier
comparisons of Figures 5 and 6, support the general
approach taken to the analyses of welded aluminium
members.

248

Eng. Struct.

1992,

Vol.

14, No 4

Parametric studies for transversely welded

members
The two programs have been used in a series of
parametric studies, divided into two main areas. These
have been designed to provide some basic information
on the effect of transverse welds on the strength of
aluminium members. The cross-sections shown in
Figures 11 and 12 were used for studies of in-plane
buckling (INSTAF) and flexural-torsional buckling
(BD~XL&L).
Among
all

the

commonly

used aluntinium

alloys,

6082-TF gives the most severe reduction in strength due

to HAZ effects; therefore, the following mechanical
properties of 6082-TF alloy were chosen for the
parametric studies

Parent
E - - 70000 N/ram 2
00.2 = 2 5 0 N / r a m 2

n = 25

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot
..J

I.I

-I

8 0 mm

Eulercurve

I I Ilmm

O.S
0.8

~Y/L~/L

= 0.0 (Nonwelded)

0.7
~\~/o.I
IQ.O.E ~ 0 . 2 ~
O.~
0.4

.0.3
~

(Wholly HAZ rnoter~ol)

0.2

---~.....~

0.2
o.,

7 mm

200 mm

Oo o15 ,Io
Figure 14

,15 2',o 2'.~ ~io A

4'0

xx

;5

5.'0

Column curves for columns with H A Z at mid-height

(in-plane buckling)
I.I I
1.0

I
Figure 12 Cross-sectionused for parametric studies (BIAXIAL)

\ /.

Elastic criticx=lcurve

~
~L~ =0 (Nonwetded)
\Y"/L* = ,50 mm o, mid-height
" ~ / L
~= L (Wholly HAZ moteriol)

0.9
0.8
0.7
i~. 0.6
05
04
03
02

HAZ

O,I
0

E* = 70000 N/mm 2
(7~.2 = 125 N/ram 2

Figure 15

n* = 10

Parametric studies of transversely welded

columns
All the studied columns were pin-ended and subjected to
axial load only; results are shown in Figures 13-15.
Figure 13 covers the effect of the location with length

I
I000i

c~

L~'L
0,0

90C

C
O
E
F
G

0.1 At botheflds
0.1
0.2
0.3
1.0

OB

70C
60C

Goi

soc

40C
3O
20(:

IOC
0

ell

o!2 o13

~~OCoB
0.4
'

o'.5 o'.6 o'.7 o'.8 o'9

I. 0

I.Jl

Pult/Pult

Figure 13

I
0.5
Column

I .tO

curves

for transversely

L * = 5 0 m m at mid-height, f l e x u r a l - t o r s i o n a l

Initial geometric imperfections in the form of half sine

waves with maximum amplitudes of L/IO00 and 0.01
radians for major and minor axis deflections and twist,
respectively were assumed. For INSTAF only the inplane initial bow was required.

80C

Effect of location and extent of H A Z on ultimate

strength of columns (in-plane buckling)

I
1.5
welded columns
buckling)

L = 1000 mm (Xx = 31) and a ratio of length of HAZ

to column length (L/L*) of between 0 and 1. The location of HAZ was shifted from one end of the column to
the other. Moreover, HAZ located at both ends of the
column with lengths of 0.05L and 0.1L was also considered. From Figure 13 it is clear that the maximum
reduction in column strength occurs when the HAZ is
located at the mid-height of the column, with the reduction increasing as the length of HAZ increases.
Brungraber and Clark~5 have suggested that
transverse welds which produce HAZ extending for not
more than 0.05L from the ends of the column have a
negligible effect on the buckling strength of pin-ended
columns. However, since the studies presented herein
show strength reductions of around 30 % it would appear
to be unsafe to neglect even this amount of HAZ.
Figures 14 and 15 present column curves for
transversely welded columns for major axis in-plane
buckling and fiexural-torsional buckling, respectively.
The HAZ is located at the mid-height of the column
where it will give the maximum reduction in strength. It
can be seen from both figures that even a relatively small
degree of transverse welding will lead to buckling
strengths that are close to those of a similar column consisting wholly of HAZ material.

Parametric studies of transversely welded

beams
Results for the in-plane and out-of-plane response of
beams are presented in Figures 16 and 17. In Figure 16,

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

249

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot
Curve

I000
900
800
700
600
500
40C
50C
200
I00
0

A
C
ED
F

L~/L

when the applied stress within the HAZ is greater than

the elastic limit stress, a*, of equation (3). When the
transverse welds are located near the two ends of the
beam, the stress level within the HAZ is well below a*
and the beam therefore, will behave as if it is a singlephase material. But if the transverse weld is located in
the middle of the beam, the stress level within the HAZ
becomes greater than ae*, and hence, causes serious
reductions in bending strength.
The results of Figure 17 show how for beams under
uniform single curvature bending the presence of a
transverse weld at mid-span causes severe reductions in
lateral buckling strength-almost down to the level
obtained for a similar beam consisting wholly of HAZ
material.

B A

0.0 (Nonwelded)
o i At i~thI~l=
0.1
0.2
0.3
i.o (WhollyHAZmoterlol)

D C

011

I
0.2

0,3

0!4

1.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

09

A
1.0

Quit/Quit
Figure 16 Effect of location and extent of H A Z on bending strength
ot b e a m s (in-plane bending)

I.I1.0.

o.9o8

Examples of continuous beams and frames

~

\x\

0.7

L'~=0 ( Nonwelded)
L

Since INSTAF can deal with two-dimensional rigid

jointed frames and not simply isolated members, some
studies have been made of the effects of HAZ as might
be produced by the use of welded connections on the
performance of simple assemblies of members.
The first of these concerns a cantilever column for
which attachment to the foundation would produce an
HAZ in the region immediately adjacent to the base.
Figure 18 gives column curves which show how the

= L ( Wh011yHAZ rnoterlol)

,~ 06
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
Ol
00

Or,5

Figure 17
mid-span,

1.10

1!5

S t u d y of transversely w e l d e d b e a m s L * = 50 m m at
Iflexural-torsional

buckling)

oo 1:
,f

the length of beam selected was 1000 mm assuming

simply-supported ends with a central point load under
in-plane bending. Following parametric study C1, the
location of the HAZ was moved along the beam from
one end to the other with differences in the L*IL ratio.
The results show that the effect of HAZ can be neglected
if the welds are located near the two ends but that the
maximum reduction in bending strength will occur if the
HAZ is located at the point of maximum bending
moment. Movever, this reduction is independent of the
dimensions of the HAZ. This can be explained by the
stress-strain relationship of the parent and HAZ
material of the aluminium alloys (see Figure 3). The
HAZ material will exhibit a reduction in strength only

Table 5
Lc
(mm)

954
1590
2226

250

tL
~o
\\\\

0.9
o.e
0.7
,~o.6
o.
0.4

L~ = 0 (Nonwelded)

~30 mm
60 mm
*= L ( Wholly HAZ moteriol)

o.3
02
O.o

I
0.5

I
1.0

I
t.5

Figure 18

Effect of transverse welding on strength of a fixed

base column

Results for f r a m e e x a m p l e of Figure 19 (Values in brackets are buckling loads at pin-ended m e m b e r s . )

)~x
(column)

30
50
70

Eccentric load -

No H A Z

L* = 30mm

WhollyHAZ

P.It(kN)

Pu*~l (kN)

P~it2(kN)

301.7
282.1
254.7

191.3
190.7
180.1

158.7
140.3
126.7

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

Figure 19(a)
Pu*kl

Pu*it2

P.=t

Pu~t

0.63
0.68
0.71

0.53
0.50
0.50

Concentric load - Figure 19/b)

No H A Z

L* = 30 mm

Wholly HAZ

Pult(kN)

Pu~tl (kN)

P~t2(kN)

298.5(278.7) + 183.5
280.9(236.3)
180.5
253.5(158.5)
173.9

155.5(139.5)
138.1(118.7)
125.7(100.1)

Pu~tl

P~tl

Pult

P~t

0.61
0.64
0.69

0.52
0.49
0.50

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot
Table 6 Effect of partially HAZ affected cross-section on member strength

Degree of softening
on cross-section

Cases
|_

135mm'---~

r-

-~ ~5mm

80ram

J_ 1444m I
r'-

"-1

(kN m)

Qp (kN)
(Plastic
theory)

OplO*,,

43.55

16.75

46.43

0.938

0.3

38.97

12.35

34.21

1.139

0.5

40.07

14.14

39.17

1.023

0.5

34.71

11.84

32.81

1.058

0.5

32.11

11.28

31.26

1.027

1.0

31.55

10.39

28.75

1.097

1.0

31.25

10.39

28.75

1.097

Mp

A/A *

O,~,(kN)
(INSTAF)

0.0

l Sm~m

144.4 mm

. . . .

U...-I-

-~-- 70mm-~--2.4mm
J'=~--135 mm

iP"/J.fJJJ.f JJJiJJ~l

,c,

9mm
I

144. 4 mm

mm-~-

~--70

Il'MIl

9.4 mI

144.4

(e)

mm

-~-70 mm-~-- 9.4ram

~----~135

"~
144.4 mm

T~f

(g)

0
~..
---~.

f f/il//~

~.~
Ill

.5.7n,~

I #3 --~ii--t

- - ~ - 7 0 m m - - ~ , 5.7ram
"

v#'JJ

144.4 mm

mm

f/JJ/J/JI

J Ar~r

rJ ~ / L / / J

Arl

/ / ill

k ,444mm I

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

251

Strength of a/uminium members containing/oca/transverse we~Is: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot

P

0~"

Column
section

'L*I

I- i

~T

I,--76 m r r ~ ._L

L*

= 3 0 mm

I,,,-76 m m q,I L

'mmt/ "I4';m"
/
l l[4'3mm
J--,

Lc

Beom
section

152rnm

J.

L * : 30mm

_L ";J ~.

~k.,

I_
r-

~l

954 mm

I_
r-

954mm

U
--q

Figure 19 Welded f r a m e e x a m p l e

half that of an equivalent unwelded column, over most

of the practical range of slenderness.
Figure 19 illustrates a two-har frame for which it has

presence of even a short length of HAZ in this critical

region causes substantial reductions in the member's
buckling load, almost down to the level of a wholly
HAZ member. For the particular configuration studied,
the strength of the welded column was only just over

been assumed that the joint consists of HAZ material

extending 30 mm along the beam and down the

Table 7 Effect o f H A Z on c o n t i n u o u s beams

Case

(a)

Condition

Quit~Quit

Qp (kN)

82.80

1.0

69.64

45.54

0.55

43.13

60.86

0.73

60.80

61.90

0.75

69.64

44.50

o. 54

43.13

Quit (kN)

(D

Z~

1444 mm } _ 1444mm }1444mm_}

(b)

~ (_b

,,

,,

,,

"

0
(c)

,, @

,,

,d,

(D

"

;"

0
(e)

252

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot

column. Results are presented in Table 5 for 3 different

geometries assuming either concentric or eccentric
column loading. These give the frame's ultimate load
determined by either allowing for or neglecting the
presence of the HAZ as well as a third approach in
which it was assumed that the whole of the column was
composed of HAZ material. The reason for the slightly
higher load levels for the case of eccentric column
loading is that in this case part of the applied load on the
beam is resisted by the reaction at its right-hand support.
Clearly for both forms of loading the presence of
reduced strength material at the joint causes substantial
reductions in load carrying capacity, almost down to the
levels corresponding to a wholly HAZ column. As
would be expected, the more slender columns are rather
less affected since buckling involves less inelastic
action.
The effect of HAZ material being located in either a
part of a continuous structure or within a part of the
cross-section and over only a part of the length of a
member has been studied by means of the beam
examples of Tables 6 and 7. The first of these deals with
a single span beam for which progressively greater proportions of the member are assumed to be affected. All
of the results follow a predictable pattern, with the
beam's strength being controlled by the reduced moment
capacity of the most highly loaded cross-section. Simple
calculations using a transformed section concept to
determine the reduced moment capacities provide very
good estimates of the load carrying capacities. Table 7
demonstrates that the presence of reduced strength spans
in a continuous beam may be allowed for in a simple
approximate way by conducting an analysis using simple
plastic theory in which the appropriate moment
capacities of each span are used. This appears to work
particularly well for cases (b), (c) and (e), for which one
or more spans of HAZ material participate in the collapse, but fails to distinguish between cases (a) and (d).
Not surprisingly for case (a), a significant underestimate
is obtained due to the neglect in the simple plastic
approach of the ascending part of the material stressstrain curve. On the other hand, for case (d) the
mechanism approach, since it is confined to spans 1 and
2, takes no account of the HAZ span 3 and thus
overestimates the load carrying capacity. However, used
with care, simple plastic theory appears to give easily
calculated, reasonably accurate estimates of the collapse
load of partially HAZ affected aluminium beams.

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

Acknowledgements
This work forms part of a project funded by RARDE;
the authors are grateful for assistance from Mr. D. Webber and Dr. P. S. Bulson.

References

Conclusions
Computer programs have been prepared that permit the
in-plane and out-of-plane response of aluminium
members containing transverse welds to be studied.
From the parametric studies undertaken the main findings are
(1) For end-welded columns, it is unsafe to neglect the
softening effect even if the dimensions of the HAZ
are small.
(2) The maximum reduction in column strength will
occur when the HAZ is located at the mid-height of
the column. For the column curves, the behaviour
of centrally-welded columns is quite similar to that

of aluminium columns containing wholly HAZ

material. Thus unless the columns are very slender
it is quite accurate and reasonable to design the
centrally-welded columns as if they consisted
solely of HAZ material.
For transversely welded beams, the location of the
HAZ material and the moment pattern are the most
important factors. Providing stresses within the
HAZ remain below the a* value of equation (3),
the beam may be designed as unwelded.
For 7000 series aluminium alloys, the draft BS
8118 suggests a reduction in 0.2% proof stress for
the heat-affected material of 25 %. From the tensile
coupon tests carried out by the authors, a figure of
approximately 35 % was obtained. This is in agreement with the findings of unpublished work at
RARDE.
From the comparison between the theoretical and
experimental load-deflection curves of the
transversely welded beams within the range
covered by the tests, generally good agreement was
observed. Checks on t h e sensitivity of the
numerical results to the exact set of input data used
further confirmed that the strength of transversely
welded members is principally dependent on the
mechanical properties of the HAZ material.
Simple plastic theory, using 'plastic moment
capacities' based on a0.2 and a~.2 or both as
appropriate, give reasonably accurate and easily
calculated estimates of the load carrying capacities
of partially HAZ affected beams.

6
7
8
9
10

Hong, G. M. 'Aluminium column curves', Aluminium structures,

design and construct/on (ed. R. Narayanan) Elsevier Applied Science
Publishers, 1987, pp 40-49
Valtinat, G. and Muller, R. 'Ultimate load of beam-columns in
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Dwight, J. B. 'Local buckling of aluminium - preliminary proposals',
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85/3, July, 1985
Little, G. H. 'Collapse behavionr of aluminium plates', BSI Committee for the Revision of CPlIg, A/paper, 27 March 1981
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Mazzolani, F. Aluminium alloy structures, Pitman, New York, 1985
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British Standards Institution Draft British Standards BS 8118, 'Code
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Murray, D. W., EI-Zanaty, M. H. and Bjorhovde, R. 'Inelastic
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Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

253

Strength of aluminium members containing local transverse wells: Y. F. Lai and D. A. Nethercot
11 Gilson, S. and Cescotto, S. 'Experimental research on the buckling
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254

Eng. Struct. 1992, Vol. 14, No 4

13 EI-Khenfas, M. A. and Nethercot, D. A. 'Ultimate strength analysis

of steel beam columns subject to biaxial bending and torsion', Res
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