Residual Stress Measurement of Welded Aluminum Light Pole Supports

Residual stresses play an important role in the behavior of welded structures subjected to cyclic loading. Two different details were evaluated, including three cast shoe base socket connection to extruded tube and two through plate socket connection joints using the hole drilling technique. Hole drilling rosette strain gauges were installed adjacent to the fillet weld toes, and strains measured as holes were milled in 0.254 mm (0.01 in.) increments to a maximum depth of 2.286 mm (0.09 in.). Measured strains were converted to stresses using both the power series and integral methods. Stresses determined from the two methods were compared, and based on sensitivity to errors; the power series methodology was taken to provide more reliable results.