Japan’s classification society ClassNK is launching a joint research project to develop technical standards in order to clarify the brittle crack arrest parameter for steel plates exceeding 80mm in thickness, expected to be used on 20,000 TEU container ships.
The project will be carried out as part of the ClassNK Joint R&D for Industry Program in collaboration with the Japanese Welding Engineering Society (JWES), steel manufacturers, shipbuilders, and neutral research institutes, and is scheduled to be completed in mid-2016.
The preventative measures for brittle fracture are important with thicker steel especially in areas where higher stress occurs such as the upper deck and hatch side coaming of the cargo holds.
Through this joint research, ClassNK aims to establish clearer evaluation methods to form the proposal for unified IACS requirements for brittle crack arrest steel exceeding 80mm for the benefit of the entire maritime industry.