The final result of weld assessments are utilisation factors which describe the proportion of actual weld stresses to allowable strength values.


In the following the calculation of utilisation factors according to DVS 1608 is shown exemplary.



Calculation Of Utilisation Factors

Step 1) Gathering The Necessary Stress and Strength Values

The first step consists of gathering all the relevant stress and strength values for each weld element to assess.


Step 2) Calculating The Utilisation Factors

The second step consists of calculating the utilisation factors.

Utilisation factors have to be calculated for every of the following stress components: , ,


Calculation of the utilisation factor for the normal stress acting perpendicular to the weld:

Calculation of the utilisation factor for the normal stress acting parallel to the weld:

Calculation of the utilisation factor for the shear stress acting parallel to the weld:

Calculation of the utilisation factor for a multi-axial stress condition:


Note: