Font Size: 

The results of combined experimental investigations and 3D-FE analysis onpre-cracked fracture mechanics steel specimens and wide plates with overmatching laserbeam weldments (LBW) under quasi-static loading will be presented. From fracture mechanicsexperiments the crack initiation has been obtained. At these points stresses andstrains for the loading state at crack initiation were determined in the FE analysis. Analysingthe stress state, the occurring pop-ins in fracture mechanics testing in comparison tothe wide plate behaviour could be explained. Further it was found that the tendency for theoften observed crack path deviation in LBW is increased at higher loads. The constraint inthe plate with LBW can be estimated by evaluation of the homogenous material configurationconservatively, especially for higher loads.