BS 7910 Annex D: How a Misaligned Weld Forces a Layer of Bending Stress
When two plates or shells to be welded together are 'not aligned' (axial misalignment or angular distortion), the load path of a tensile load is forced to bend, adding a layer of local bending stress Οs at the weld. BS 7910:2019 Annex D is a look-up handbook: it gives a formula for each of 10 standardized misalignment configurations (7 butt-joint types + 3 cruciform types), letting you compute Οs directly from the geometry, or convert it to a stress magnification factor km to feed into the Annex M stress intensity factor and the Clause 7 fracture assessment. This article gives the physics, then a figure and algorithm for each type.