Weld seams under short-duration dynamic loading

For the design of welded joints in steel structures under static loading, established standards such as Eurocode EN 1993-1-8 provide reliable guidance. Additionally, widely accepted material models are available for simulating the behaviour of weld seams under static stress conditions. However, when defining properties for welded joints in structural models exposed to high dynamic loads, such as impact or blast loads, the applicability of conventional material models for weld seams in structural steel are largely unknown. While previous studies have dealt with the response of steel members under dynamic loading scenarios, the specific material behaviour of weld seams in this context remains unexplored. A test campaign was conducted to investigate the material behaviour of weld seams under high dynamic loads. The campaign consisted of the tensile testing of several types of welds under different strain rates, as well as blast tests on girders with a welded joint. This paper presents results from both the dynamic tensile and blast tests. This data is used to calibrate finite-element-models to simulate the short-duration dynamic response of welded joints.