An Experimental Study on Fatigue Behavior in Welded SM45C Steel Rod

For this study, SM45C steel rods using generally for power transmission shafts and machine components was selected and welded by butt-GMAW method. And then it was studied about estimation of fatigue strength and the region of infinite life by Haigh diagram using Goodman's equation. Fatigue strength in weld zone presents highly in order of the boundary between deposited metal zone and heat affected zone, deposited metal zone, heat affected zone. This result agrees with distribution of hardness in weld zone. Fatigue strength in base metal zone presents highly compared with weld zone in low cycles between 10. cycles and 10. cycles, but it presents the lowest fatigue strength on the order of heat affected zone in the vicinity of 10. cycles. It is the result that the first high compressive residual stress distributed by drawing process of the steel rods is released and the base metal is softened by alternating stresses. The region of infinite life by Haigh diagram presents highly in order of the boundary between deposited metal zone and heat affected zone, deposited metal zone, heat affected zone. From this results, it is demanded that the stress for safety design of machine components using SM45C butt-welded steel rods must be selected in the region of the lowest infinite life of heat affected zone.