Brittle Crack Propagation/Arrest Behavior in T-joint Structure of Heavy Gauge Steel Plates

Brittle crack arrestability is extremely important in welded joints of heavy gauge steel plates used in large container ships. Recently, much attention has been focused on potential crack propagation along welds using large heat input. This paper examines the application of a T-joint to the strength deck structure of container ships to enhance crack arrestability. The crack arrest toughness, Kca, for crack arrest was varied. The ESSO test of T-joint components showed that brittle crack was arrested at the T-joint if the steel plate used for the flange had a high Kca value in the range from 4900 to 7300N/mm(3/2). FE-analysis of the stress intensity factor K indicated that brittle crack propagation was arrested under the condition that the K-value at the running crack tip was less than the Kca of the material. In the T-joint, it was noted that the K-value around the area of the deepest point of the crack decreased and was finally less than the Kca of the flange plate when the brittle crack penetrated suddenly into the flange plate to a 10mm depth. This phenomenon shows the advantage of using a T-joint for brittle crack arrest in the flange plates of strength deck structures.