A modified Neuber’s rule for welded cruciform joints under low-cycle actions

This article presents a modified Neuber’s rule to estimate the inelastic stress and strain at the toe of welded plate connections under large-scale cyclic yielding, caused by the low-cycle fatigue loadings. In contrast to the original Neuber’s rule, which usually overestimates the notch-tip elastic–plastic stress and strain as the applied nominal stress approaches or exceeds the material yield strength, the modified Neuber’s rule provides a convenient and accurate estimation of the stress and strain at the weld toe as an alternative to the time-consuming numerical computation. The numerical study covers the variations in both the geometric configuration and the material properties in the modified Neuber’s rule. This article also provides closed-form expressions for the two critical parameters in the modified Neuber’s rule to facilitate engineering applications.