Issue 78

G. Palomba et alii, Fracture and Structural Integrity, 78 (2026) 233-247; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.78.14

Fatemi [9] and Kamaya [10] extend this concept by incorporating both yield and ultimate strengths to reconstruct the true stress–strain curve. These models are particularly effective when local hardness variations correspond to different thermal histories, as observed in welded joints.

(a) (b) Figure 7: (a) specimens section extracted from the TIG-welded AISI 316L plate specimen; (b) macro-etched cross-section of the weld metal (WM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and base metal (BM) zones. Hardness–mechanical property correlations The hardness profile, reported in Fig. 8, revealed a gradual increase toward the weld center, reflecting the combined effects of thermal gradients and microstructural refinement. The hardness values ranged between 170 HV in the BM and approximately 200 HV in the WM, indicating localized strengthening due to solidification effects.

Figure 8: Hardness distribution across weld section.

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