OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

REPORT - OTO 2000 001

FRACTURE PROPERTIES OF
GRADE 'A' SHIP PLATE

Prepared by

British Steel Limited

Swinden Technology Centre
Moorgate
Rotherham
S60 3AR

Date of Issue: January 2000 Health and Safety Executive

This report is made available by the Health and Safety Executive as
part of a series of reports of work which has been supported by
funds provided by the Executive. Neither the Executive, nor the
contractors concerned assume any liability for the reports nor do
they necessarily reflect the views or policy of the Executive.

Reports in the OTO series can be obtained from Research Admin,

OSD, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 3DL
Fax: 0151 951 3098

ii
 SUMMARY

A programme of work was undertaken to generate fracture property data, including a measure
of the degree of scatter, from as rolled ship plate material, nominally Lloyd's Grade 'A',
representing the lower end of the Charpy toughness spectrum. This was in response to
concerns regarding the safety of sea going vessels, particularly when an extension of the service
life is envisaged or a change of use, for example to offshore production or storage vessels, is
considered which would require structural integrity assessments.

Seven plates, which were not necessarily certified Grade A plates but were offered by stockists
as suitable alternatives, were examined. The selection was dictated by the desire to include
plates at the lower end of the toughness spectrum. These, therefore, originated from a number
of steel suppliers and had widely differing chemistries.

The test certificates did not always reflect the actual chemistries or mechanical properties.
Some of the plates exhibited strength levels which were outside the limits for Grade A. All of
the plates were homogeneous and the material properties were not influenced by sampling
positions.

In general there is no minimum Charpy impact energy value specified for Grade A, although the
1997 amendments to the Lloyd's Register rules and regulations for Classification of Ships now
include a Charpy impact energy requirement for Grade A plates of 27 J in the longitudinal
direction and 20 J in the transverse direction at +20°C. The Charpy impact energy for the
plates in this current test programme exceeded 27 J at +20°C in both orientations.

Pellini Drop weight tests were carried out on some of the plates, fully recognising that three of
the four plates were less than the minimum plate thickness covered by the Drop Weight test
standard thus yielding non-standard specimens.

The fracture toughness of four plates was measured using high loading rate and results
compared with the criterion, proposed by Sumpter, that the toughness Kmat must exceed a value
of 125 MPa√m at a loading rate of 104 MPa√m/s or higher at a test temperature reflecting
operating conditions for ships. Three plates with thickness up to 15 mm had adequate
toughness such that Kmat exceeded the minimum stated above at a test temperature of -10°C
which is the minimum operating air temperature for the North Sea. The only 20 mm thick plate
in this study failed to meet the minimum toughness level as described above.

The effect of strain ageing treatment on toughness properties was measured on one plate and
the Charpy toughness of strain-aged specimens was, as expected, worse than the corresponding
parent plate material with the 50% FATT approximately 50°C higher.

The effect of welding on HAZ toughness was studied by applying thermal simulation treatment.
The coarse grained HAZ was simulated by using single cycle thermal treatments corresponding
to nominally 1.5 and 5.0 kJ/mm heat input welds and the toughness was characterised by the
Charpy impact toughness test. 50% FATT increased by up to 15°C for the lower heat input and
40°C for the higher heat input welds for the two plates studied. It is likely that this will be the
worst case view of the toughness compared to this region in a real weld because the thermally
simulated specimens contain uniform microstructure of low toughness through the specimen
cross-section. A specimen taken from a real weld is likely to contain a mixture of
microstructure ranging from low to relatively high toughness.

iii
 CONTENTS

Page

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. BACKGROUND 3

3. MATERIALS 5

4. TEST PROGRAMME 7

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 9

5.1 Grades and Chemical Composition 9

5.2 Mechanical Properties 9
5.3 Charpy Impact Energy 9
5.4 Pellini Nil Ductility Transition Temperature 10
5.5 High Rate Fracture Tests 10
5.6 HAZ Thermal Simulation 12
5.7 Strain Ageing 12

6. CONCLUSIONS 13

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 15

REFERENCES 17

TABLES 19

FIGURES 23

iv
1. INTRODUCTION
Grade 'A' steel is the most common grade of ship plate used in the construction of merchant
ships. However Charpy impact energy and fracture toughness data are not generally available
for this grade mainly because it is not generally required to meet a Charpy toughness
specification. (Note: This changed in 1997 when Lloyd's Register rules and regulations for
Classification of Ships were amended to include a Charpy impact energy requirement of 27 J in
the longitudinal direction and 20 J in the transverse direction at +20°C for Grade A plates).
There are many ships now in use which are beyond their original design life and consequently
may contain an increasing number and size of defects which may initiate a catastrophic
fracture. In these circumstances the base toughness of steel plate is an important consideration
and raises concerns about the safety of sea going vessels. The toughness of the plate used in
the fabrication of such vessels is one of the principal areas of concern.

In recent years some sea-going vessels have been subjected to a change of use to floating
production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels for oil field development. This involves the
ships being moored in the vicinity of an offshore production platform which has the effect of
changing the wave loading pattern on the ship as it is subjected to wave impact from
predominantly one direction instead of the more random loading pattern which arises from
normal use. This change in loading pattern will also have an effect upon the applied stresses
and therefore the structural integrity of the vessel.

v
2. BACKGROUND
In order to address the concerns noted above, a literature review of the fracture properties of
Grade A ship plate was carried out and reported(1). The principal objectives of the review were
to:-

v review the concepts of fracture control in ship structures.

v review the available data on the fracture properties of Grade A ship plate in terms of
fracture initiation (Charpy toughness, fracture toughness) and fracture propagation
resistance (Pellini Nil Ductility Transition Temperature, Drop weight tear test).

v provide recommendations on the minimum requirements for fracture control plans.

This review found a significant variability in the fracture initiation toughness of Grade A plates
although the level of toughness was considered generally adequate. The crack arrest toughness
for these plates appeared to be less variable but the review concluded that it was probably
insufficient to guarantee structural integrity in the event of the initiation of a large fast running
crack.

As noted above the amount of fracture toughness data on Grade A is very limited and do not
fully address the concerns associated with the use of ship structures for offshore oil production
and storage.

A programme of work was undertaken to build upon the data currently available and to further
study the variability of toughness within a plate. The aim of the programme was to generate
mechanical property and fracture data from steel plates which conform, in general terms, to the
Grade A ship plate requirements manufactured by a variety of steel producers. It was thought
that this approach would not only permit the evaluation of the effect of different steel-making
and processing conditions but would also provide an indication of the lower bound toughness
values relevant to such steels.

The work was carried out at Swinden Technology Centre, British Steel and the University of
Gent, Belgium and has been funded by Lloyds Register of Shipping and the Offshore Division
of the Health and Safety Executive. Full details of the work have been reported elsewhere(2,3)
and the current report is a synthesis of these data with some additional analyses.

vi
 3. MATERIALS

Seven plates, originating from different countries, were purchased from stockholders. The
plate details are given in Table 1 and each plate has been ascribed a letter which is used
throughout the report to identify that plate.

A desired aim of the project was to investigate plates with toughness at the lower end of the
spectrum for this grade of steel. It was thought that restricting the search to pedigreed Grade A
plates may not unearth such plates within the envisaged time-scale with the available resources.
By including other plates in the search which, on the basis of information given in the
associated tests certificates, met the composition and the mechanical property requirements of
Grade A without being classified as such, it was possible to select plates with varying steel
chemistries from a variety of steel producers.

vii
4. TEST PROGRAMME
The following tests were carried out at several locations on plates in order to evaluate the
variability in properties. The test positions for all of the plates are listed in Table 2.

v Chemical analysis.

v Tensile testing to EN10002-1 (1990) in both the transverse and longitudinal (relative to the
plate rolling direction) directions.

v Longitudinal and transverse Charpy tests to EN 10045-1 (1992). These tests were used to
establish ductile - brittle transition temperatures.

v Pellini Drop Weight Tests on longitudinal specimens to ASTM E208-87 (for specimen
thicknesses of 19 mm (P2) and 16 mm (P3)) or Stahl-Eisen Test Specification 1325 (1982)
(for 13 mm thick specimens (P4)) to determine Nil Ductility Transition Temperatures
(NDTT). (Note: tests conducted on plates less than 13 mm thick did not strictly conform to
these specifications).

v Fracture toughness properties were measured on longitudinal specimens for four of the
plates over a range of temperatures and stress intensity rates.

In order to measure the effect of welding on the heat affected zone (HAZ) toughness, a Gleeble
1500 thermal simulator was used to simulate the coarse grained HAZ microstructure for 1.5 and
5.0 kJ/mm heat input welds in two of the plates, plates C and H. Charpy impact transition
curves were determined for this region and compared with the corresponding parent plate data.

One of the plates, plate C, was given a strain ageing treatment of 5% strain followed by ageing
for 1 h @ 250°C and the effect was characterised by generating Charpy transition curves and
comparing the same with the corresponding plate properties.

viii
5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
5.1 GRADES AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Plate A was purchased from a stockist in the UK as Lloyd's grade A. The other plates, obtained
from steel stockholders in other European countries, were not classified as Grade A. Most of
these, except plates G and I, conformed to S235 or equivalent as per German standards as
shown in Table 1. Plate G carried a similar specification but to a Chinese standard. There was
no grade indicated for the plate I.

Chemical compositions of these plates are shown with the Grade A specification and the
analysis values quoted on the release certificates in Table 3. It can be seen that all of the plates
conformed to the requirements for this grade of steel. All of the plates, except for G and I, were
unalloyed or low alloyed structural steels with low carbon equivalents for good weldability.
Plate G had high C, Si and Mn contents and was typical of 'old' structural steels with moderate
weldability as a consequence of it's high hardenability. Plate I with its low carbon content and
low tensile strength is typical of more modern steels.

Plates G and I showed substantial discrepancies in information between that contained on their
respective test certificates and the results of the laboratory tests. Si and Mn contents were
significantly understated for plate G and the values of C, Mn, P and S given for plate I were all
different to those determined in the laboratory, particularly the carbon content which was
grossly overstated on the test certificate.

5.2 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

The results for all of the tensile tests carried out are contained in Table 4 along with the
relevant test certificate information and the requirements for Lloyd's grade A (it should be
noted that all comparisons are with Lloyd's rules dating before the 1997 amendments). Plates
D, G and I did not meet the tensile strength specification. The tensile strength of plate G was
above the maximum, although the certificate did not show this. For Plates D and I some of the
values were marginally outside the limits set by Lloyds Register. Apart from these
discrepancies the remaining plates were in reasonable agreement with the information on the
test certificates.

The tensile and yield strength properties are shown in Figs. 1-4 in order to compare the results
from the various locations sampled. Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate that all of the results obtained
from plate A are very similar, a feature which is repeated with the more limited data from the
other plates. Specimen orientation (longitudinal versus transverse) also did not have a
noticeable effect suggesting the plates were essentially isotropic in terms of strength.

5.3 CHARPY IMPACT ENERGY

The Charpy impact energy data are presented in graphical form in Figs. 5-16. The tests were
carried out on each plate using specimens from several positions across and along the plate and
for both longitudinal and transverse orientations. The most commonly used measures of
Charpy performance, 27 J transition temperature (T27 J) (20 J for transverse specimens) and 50%
brittle fracture appearance transition temperature (50% FATT), were derived from the data in
Figs. 5-16 and these are presented in Table 5 and Fig. 17.

ix
All of the plates examined here had T27 J temperatures (T20 J for transverse tests) of 0°C or
lower. Plate I was found to be the toughest and plate C the least tough. The 50% FATT for
these plates varied between 25°C and -60°C.

The sampling position did not have any pronounced effect on the Charpy impact energies
indicating that the plates were quite homogeneous. Transverse Charpy toughness was worse
than the longitudinal Charpy toughness which is typical of as rolled plates.

5.4 PELLINI NIL DUCTILITY TRANSITION TEMPERATURE

The Pellini drop-weight test is widely used to infer the crack arrest properties of steel plates.
However ship plates have not been traditionally subjected to this test, mainly because the
majority of these plates are thinner than 15.9 mm which is the minimum specimen thickness
accepted in the Drop-Weight test standard, ASTM E208. Nevertheless the tests were
performed on plates A, C, G and H and Nil Ductility Transition temperatures determined
though it was recognised that most of the plates were below the thickness range for valid
drop-weight tests. Specimen dimensions for thinner plates conformed to those specified for P3
specimens. The deflection stop distance for the 9.5 mm thick plate was set in accordance with
a German standard (Stahl Eisen Prufblatt 1325) which extends the scope of the drop-weight test
to 13 mm thick plates (specimen P4). Results from the drop-weight tests are given below;

Plate Code Position Specimen Type NDTT

A End B - ½ Width 15 mm -20°C
C Mid-length - Edge 19 mm P2 0°C
G Mid-length - ¼ Width 9.5 mm -50°C
H Mid-length - Edge 15 mm -10°C

5.5 HIGH RATE FRACTURE TESTS

Sumpter has suggested(4) that a dynamic fracture mechanics toughness (Kmat) of 125 MPa√m
(Kcrit) at the operating temperature is needed to avoid risk of brittle fracture. This criterion must
be met at loading rates of 104 MPa√m/s to represent dishing of a hull plate under local
slamming in a ship's bottom and 102 MPa√m/s to represent the effect of slamming at mid-ship's
deck. The operating temperatures for the North Sea is 0°C for below the water line and -10°C
for above the water line.

Bx2B pre-cracked longitudinal specimens from plate A were subjected to high strain rate
fracture tests at test temperatures of 0°C and -10°C at the two loading rates described above and
these results in terms of stress intensity factor (Kmat) are presented in Fig. 18. Stress intensity
factors were calculated from the measured CTOD values using the following relationship;

. . . (1)

This plate met the criterion for Kmat of 125 MPa√m at 0°C and therefore could be considered to
posses adequate toughness for a ship operating in the North Sea environment.

Subsequently plates C, G, and H were selected from the remaining plates and longitudinal
specimens from these were tested slightly differently. Tests were conducted over a range of
temperatures using a high (>104 MPa√m/s) stress intensity rate to establish the temperature at
which Kmat values fall below the Kcrit value of 125 MPa√m. Subsequent tests were done at a
fixed temperature just below the 125 MPa√m transition temperature using a range of stress

x
intensity rates to establish a stress intensity rate transition for Kmat. These results are presented
in Figs. 19-24.

Transition temperatures for meeting Sumpter's criterion at the higher of the two loading rates
are presented below. It has been suggested(4) that 50% FATT temperatures can be used in the
absence of fracture toughness data, therefore these are also included. The 50% FATT values
shown are the highest values for longitudinal tests including all test positions and although the
fracture toughness test samples were taken from a corresponding position for plate A this was
not the case for the other plates.

Kcrit Transition 50% FATT

T, °C T, °C
Plate A 0 +10
Plate C +18 +10
Plate G -16 +5
Plate H -10 -10

Plates A, G and H having met the Sumpter criterion could be considered to have adequate
toughness for use in ships operating in conditions existing in the North Sea. The Kcrit transition
temperature for plate C was above 0°C and so did not satisfy the more stringent of the two
criteria set by Sumpter. Tests done at 10°C to establish the strain rate transition curve for the
material fracture toughness showed Kmat exceeding Kcrit only when loading rates were around
102 MPa√m/s or lower, Fig. 20. These results were insufficient to categorically state whether
this plate is capable of satisfying the Sumpter criterion at the lower of the two loading rates at a
temperature of -10°C. Therefore additional tests were done to establish a fracture toughness
ductile-brittle transition curve using the lower of the two loading rates. These results are
included in Fig. 19 which reaffirmed that +10°C is the lowest temperature at which the fracture
toughness, Kmat, for this steel exceeds the critical value of 125 MPa√m. In order to establish the
maximum loading rate at which Kmat would exceed Kcrit, further tests were done at 0°C and
-10°C and these results are shown in Fig. 20. It is clear that the fracture toughness of this plate
does not exceed the critical value at -10°C even for very slow loading rates. It, therefore, does
not possess sufficient toughness for use as ship plate for the North Sea environment according
to the criterion set by Sumpter.

Plate C was also unusual in the fact that its FATT was less than the Kcrit transition temperature.
A large volume of results from 5-15 mm thick plates contained in reference 4 showed the FATT
to be invariably higher. Plate C at 20 mm was thicker and it is possible that the consequent
increased thickness of the fracture mechanics test, whilst keeping the Charpy thickness constant
at 10 mm, caused an upward shift in the Kcrit transition temperature relative to Charpy
toughness. The other results are within the scatter band established by Sumpter for 5-15 mm
thick plates(4).

There is only a limited amount of data on the fracture toughness of steel plates at high strain
rates as only DERA appear to be using this method. They apply it to assess the suitability of
steel plates for warships and have published results from six different steel plates conforming to
Grade A specification(4). These show variations in Kcrit transition temperatures ranging from
+30°C to -30°C and only four plates had satisfactory toughness as per the Sumpter criterion, a
ratio similar to the present results which showed that three out of four plates had satisfactory
toughness on this basis.

xi
5.6 HAZ THERMAL SIMULATION

In order to assess the effect of welding on HAZ toughness, specimens with a cross section of
11 x 11 mm from plates C and H were subjected to thermal cycles on a Gleeble 1500 thermal
simulator to simulate the HAZ such that one set of specimens from each plate was subjected to
a thermal cycle representing a low heat input weld (~1.5 kJ/mm) and another set to one
representing a high heat input (~5.0 kJ/mm) weld. In both cases the specimens were heated to
1350°C in two seconds followed by controlled cooling such that the cooling times between
800°C and 500°C (∆t8/5) were 10 seconds and 125 seconds respectively for the lower and the
higher heat input values.

Charpy specimens machined from the thermally simulated specimens were tested and the
Charpy transition curves and fracture appearance transition curves for the two plates are shown
in Fig. 25. 27 J transition temperatures and 50% FATT from these curves are given below;

27 J Transition Temperature,
50% FATT (°C)
(°C)
Weld Heat Input Weld Heat Input
Plate Plate
1.5 kJ 5.0 kJ 1.5 kJ 5.0 kJ
Plate C -10 -5 +10 +15 +25 +30
Plate H -10 +5 +15 -5 +20 +30

There is a deterioration in the Charpy impact toughness after the thermal simulation treatment
compared to the plate properties. The HAZ of the higher heat input weld suffered greater
deterioration in toughness compared to the lower heat input weld. However, the performance
of the HAZ in real welds may be better because the HAZ usually contains a mixture of grain
sizes and microstructures with toughness properties for the individual constituents ranging from
low to relatively high values, whereas the thermally simulated specimens present a fairly
uniform coarse grain microstructure of low toughness in the crack path and thus represent the
worst case.

5.7 STRAIN AGEING

Longitudinal specimens from plate C, taken from ¼ width position on the full plate, were
subjected to 5% strain followed by 1 h @ 250°C ageing treatment. Results of the Charpy tests
are presented in Fig. 26 which also includes the original plate Charpy impact energy data for
comparison. 27 J transition temperatures and 50% FATTs given below;

27 J Transition Temperature 50% FATT (°C)

(°C)
As rolled Aged As rolled Aged
-10 +35 +20 +70

There is an increase in the Charpy toughness transition temperature of about 50°C. Even
though no comparative data could be found for as rolled grade A steels, an earlier work(5) on
BS4360:Grade 50E showed a deterioration in the impact transition temperature of about 40°C
on a similar strain ageing treatment. This difference in results from the two steel plates are
within the scatter in results normally associated with Charpy testing.

xii
 6. CONCLUSIONS

A total of seven plates which either conformed to the Lloyd's Grade A requirements in full, or
had matching chemistries and strengths, has been examined. The plates were obtained from
stockists and originated from several steel makers and had different steel chemistries. The aim
of the work was to examine the variability in properties which could be obtained from this steel
type, both within and between plates. A variety of tests was carried out and the main findings
are given below.

Test certificates from stockists do not necessarily guarantee that the plate to which they refer
conform with the information contained in them. Subsequent product testing, in some
instances, gave significantly different values from those quoted on the test certificate.

The material properties for all of the plates examined were not markedly influenced by
sampling positions.

All of the steels exceeded a Charpy impact toughness of 27 J at +20°C in all specimen
orientations and test positions. Overall the 20 mm thick plate had the lowest Charpy impact
energy.

Four out of seven plates met the strength requirements for Grade A plates and a further two
plates were only marginally outside the specification limits. One plate was significantly
stronger than the upper specification limit for tensile strength on the basis of actual test results
which were at considerable variance with the relevant test certificate data.

Plate chemistries for most plates suggested a low risk of cracking during welding. The one
exception was the chemistry of the 10 mm thick plate originating from China which, because of
it's high carbon content, suggested relatively high hardenability.

Four plates were tested under high loading rate using pre-cracked specimens. Two 15 mm
plates and one 10 mm thick plate, had adequate fracture toughness according to the criterion,
suggested by Sumpter for ships operating in the North Sea, of a fracture toughness value (Kmat)
exceeding 125 MPa/m at a loading rate of 104 MPa/m/s or higher. The 20 mm thick plate did
not meet this requirement.

Pellini Drop Weight test results have been presented for four plates. Although three of these
were outside the thickness limit covered by the relevant test standard they provide an indication
of the relative NDTT between plates.

A strain ageing treatment of specimens from the 20 mm thick plate raised the 50% FATT
values in the Charpy test by 50°C as compared to the as-rolled parent plate.

xiii
Thermal simulation technique was used to reproduce the coarse grained HAZ of nominally 1.5
and 5.0 kJ/mm heat input welds. Charpy tests performed on specimens from these showed that
the 27 J transition temperature and the 50% FATT were increased for the two plates tested.
This is argued to be the worst case and the HAZ from real welds of comparable heat inputs
could be tougher as measured by Charpy impact energies.

S. Kapoor
Senior Technologist

S.E. Webster
Manager
Welding & Engineering Metallurgy Department

xiv
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Contributions from Prof J.D.G. Sumpter in discussing the results of high rate fracture toughness
tests and it's implications for crack arrest in ships are gratefully acknowledged.

xv
REFERENCE LIST
1. A.C. Bannister: 'Literature Review of the Fracture Properties of Grade A Ship Plate',
Report No. SL/WEM/RSC/S12221/2/96/X, British Steel plc, Swinden Technology Centre,
1996.

2. R. Denys et al: 'Steel Selection Criteria for Fracture Avoidance in Welded Ships - Fracture
Properties of Grade A Steel Ship Plates', Report No. P0173/40.TL/97, Laboratorium Soete,
University of Gent, 18 May 1998.

3. S. Kapoor: 'Fracture Properties of Grade A Ship Plate', Report No.

SL/WEM/RSC/S12338/1/98/D, British Steel plc, Swinden Technology Centre, 14 July
1998.

4. J.D.G. Sumpter and A.J. Caudrey: 'Recommended Fracture Toughness for Ship Hull Steel
and Weld', Marine Structures, 1995, 8, 345-357.

5. K.Abernethy and W.B. Morrison: 'Effect of Straining and Ageing on Charpy Impact
Properties of Modern BS4360:Grade 50E Steels and Comparison with Commercially Cold
Formed Samples', Report No. PP/R/S1196/14/87/D, British Steel Technical, Swinden
Laboratories, 12 November 1987.

xvi
 Table 1
Plate details
Grade Plate dimensions (mm)
Plate STC Plate Code Country Thickness (Note 2)
(actual)
Identity (if any) of Origin (mm)
(Note 1) Length Width
A Y7D2-10 A Romania 15 12,000 3,000
S235JRG2
B Bulgaria 10 2,000 2,000
RST37-2
S235JRG2
C H7E2 Bulgaria 20 2,000 2,000
RST37-2
S235JRG2
D Bulgaria 12 2,000 2,000
RST37-2
G H7E3 Q235A China 10 6,000 2,000
H H7E4 RST37-2 Romania 15 6,000 2,000
I Unknown India 10 6,000 2,000
Note 1: Grade S235JRG2 according to DIN 1543/91.
Grade RST37-2 according to DIN 17100/80.
Grade Q235A according to a Chinese specification - identity not known.
Note 2: Plate A was a full rolled plate. Other plates were pieces as available from stockists.

Table 2
Sampling positions
Sampling Positions
Plate
Edge ¼ Width ½ Width
Plate end 'A' Plate end 'A' Plate end 'A'
A Plate mid-length Plate mid-length Plate mid-length
Plate end 'E' Plate end 'E' Plate end 'E'
B Plate mid-length Plate mid-length -
C Plate mid-length Plate mid-length -
D Plate mid-length Plate mid-length -
Plate end Plate end -
G
- Plate mid-length Plate mid-length
Plate end Plate end -
H
- Plate mid-length Plate mid-length
Plate end Plate end -
I
- Plate mid-length Plate mid-length

xvii
 Table 3
Chemical compositions of the plates
Lloyd's Plate A Plate B Plate C Plate D Plate G Plate H Plate I
Element
Gr. A Certificate Measured Certificate Measured Certificate Measured Certificate Measured Certificate Measured Certificate Measured Certificate Measured
C 0.23 max. 0.120 0.130 0.140 0.143 0.130 0.148 0.110 0.123 0.170 0.186 0.120 0.128 0.130 0.068
Si 0.5 max. 0.23 0.24 0.28 0.29 0.25 0.26 0.22 0.23 0.18 0.45 0.23 0.26 0.15 0.17
Mn Note 1 0.63 0.66 0.43 0.42 0.54 0.52 0.71 0.72 0.42 1.45 0.44 0.47 0.65 0.99
P 0.04 max. 0.016 0.015 0.017 0.019 0.020 0.023 0.027 0.033 0.019 0.019 0.022 0.017 0.024 0.016
S 0.04 max. 0.018 0.016 0.042 0.043 0.022 0.026 0.023 0.023 0.022 0.030 0.016 0.009 0.025 0.012
Cr - - <0.02 0.11 0.10 0.16 0.16 0.11 0.11 - 0.01 - 0.01 - 0.02
Ni - - <0.02 0.10 0.09 0.13 0.12 0.09 0.09 - 0.01 - 0.00 - 0.02
Mo - - <0.005 - 0.01 - 0.01 - 0.01 - 0.00 - 0.00 - 0.01
Al - - 0.006 - 0.011 - 0.019 - 0.010 - 0.015 0.012 0.068 - 0.037
V - - <0.005 - 0.002 - 0.003 - 0.005 - 0.004 - 0.001 - 0.006
Nb - - <0.005 - 0.002 - 0.002 - 0.003 - 0.004 - 0.001 - 0.003
Cu - - <0.02 0.23 0.21 0.29 0.26 0.26 0.23 - 0.03 - 0.02 - 0.01
Ti - - <0.005 - 0.002 - 0.002 - 0.002 - 0.003 - 0.003 - 0.003
CE(IIW) - 0.230 0.243 0.255 0.295 0.289 0.433 0.210 0.242
Pcm - - 0.172 0.192 0.207 0.186 0.276 0.162 0.126
Note 1: For thickness >12.5 mm Mn must not be less than 2.5x (the carbon content).
 Table 4
Tensile test results
Longitudinal Transverse
Plate Tensile Yield Strength Elong- Tensile Yield Strength Elong-
Test Position
Code Strength Upper Lower ation Strength Upper Lower ation
(N/mm²) (N/mm²) (N/mm²) (%) (N/mm²) (N/mm²) (N/mm²) (%)
Lloyd's Grade A 400-490 235 min. 22 min.
Certificate 453 321 24
End A - Edge 442/438 285 283/288 37/37 445/446 285/292 280/290 34/35
End A - ¼ width 445/446 282/282 276/276 37/36 447/447 284/286 283/283 35/34
End A - ½ width 446/445 288/291 281/278 36/37 444/440 288 283/289 33/34
Mid-length - Edge 445,444 295,289 288/281 37/36 441/441 273/273 272/271 35/35
A
Mid-length - ¼ width 441/441 274/273 272/268 37/34 441/442 271 270/270 35/36
Mid-length - ½ width 442/444 272/272 37/37 441/441 284/276 283/273 33/34
End B - Edge 441/435 286/284 275/276 32/34 437/437 277/284 273/276 35/34
End B - ¼ width 444/440 278/273 275/271 35/34 447/451 283/293 280/282 35/34
End B - ½ width 444/445 277/289 273/286 36/37 448/443 289/275 287/273 34/35
Certificate 470 304 29.5
B Mid-length - Edge 462 326 309 37.0 463 308 303 29.8
Mid-length - ¼ width 463 327 311 33.9 464 327 313 30.7
Certificate 461 289 28.5
C Mid-length - Edge 462 271 269 32.6 454 284 268 32.7
Mid-length - ¼ width 454 272 266 34.1 455 276 260 30.6
Certificate 456 299 32.5
D Mid-length - Edge 477 317 313 31.0 482 328 321 31.1
Mid-length - ¼ width 513 347 345 32.2 520 371 352 31.0
Certificate 430 255
End - Edge 569 402 379 31.7 561 388 369 27.8
G End - ¼ width 564 387 375 27.6 562 398 376 29.0
Mid-length - ¼ width 572 386 383 24.9 567 378 375 26.0
Mid-length - ½ width 558 385 376 24.5 568 384 377 32.0
Certificate 412 242 32.0
End - Edge 411 277 263 40.8 411 261 257 36.2
H End - ¼ width 414 271 260 39.2 417 285 256 39.1
Mid-length - ¼ width 414 269 265 37.2 411 268 253 38.8
Mid-length - ½ width 416 277 263 37.6 413 274 264 39.0
Certificate 412 310 25.0
End - Edge 402 292 275 40.5 408 282 280 39.4
I End - ¼ width 398 306 297 39.8 405 292 285 37.8
Mid-length - ¼ width 403 304 289 35.9 402 307 294 38.5
Mid-length - ½ width 397 302 282 37.2 405 286 286 35.8
Notes:
(1) Plate A was tested at STC and duplicate tests results are given above. All other plates were tested at
the University of Gent.
(2) Elongation values for tests done at STC are quoted over a gauge length (lO) of 100 mm. For other tests
this was 5.65 .
(3) 0.2% proof strength (RP0.2) instead of the lower yield strength (Rel) is given for all tests done at the
University of Gent.
 Table 5
Transition temperatures determined from Charpy test results
Longitudinal Transverse
Plate
Test Position 27 J 50% FATT 20 J 50% FATT
Code
(°C) (°C) (°C) (°C)
End A - Edge -30 0 -30 0
End A - ¼ width -30 -5 -30 -5
End A - ½ width -30 -5 -20 -5
Mid-length - Edge -35 0 -35 0
A Mid-length - ¼ width -15 0 -10 0
Mid-length - ½ width -15 0 -10 5
End B - Edge -30 -5 -25 5
End B - ¼ width -25 5 -10 10
End B - ½ width -15 10 -35 5
Mid-length - Edge -30 -5 -15 20
B
Mid-length - ¼ width -30 -10 -10 10
Mid-length - Edge -15 10 -10 30
C
Mid-length - ¼ width -10 15 -10 35
Mid-length - Edge -40 -10 -40 20
D
Mid-length - ¼ width -40 -15 -30 5
End A - Edge -35 5 -35 10
End A - ¼ width -35 5 -35 5
G
Mid-length - ¼ width -35 -10 -30 -5
Mid-length - ½ width -40 -5 -30 -5
End A - Edge -15 -5 -25 5
End A - ¼ width -20 -10 -10 0
H
Mid-length - ¼ width -10 -5 -10 0
Mid-length - ½ width -10 -5 -20 5
End A - Edge -55 -55 -65 -10
End A - ¼ width -55 -55 -55 -20
I
Mid-length - ¼ width -60 -60 -60 -20
Mid-length - ½ width -50 -50 -60 -25
Strength (N/mm²)
500
EE'A'
¼WE'A'
½WE'A'
450 EML
¼WML
½WML
EE'E'
400 ¼W'E'
½W'E'

350

300

250
Tensile1 Tensile2 Yield1 Yield2

Figure 1
Tensile property variations in Plate A - longitudinal tests

Strength (N/mm²)
500
EE'A'
¼WE'A'
½WE'A'
450 EML
¼WML
½WML
EE'E'
400 ¼W'E'
½W'E'

350

300

250
Tensile1 Tensile2 Yield1 Yield2

Figure 2
Tensile property variations in Plate A - transverse tests
Strength (N/mm²)
700
BMLE GML½W
BML¼W HEE
CMLE HE¼W
CML¼W HML¼W
600 DMLE HML½W
DML¼W IEE
GEE IE¼W
GE¼W IML¼W
GML¼W IML½W

Specification limits
500

400

300
Longitudinal Transverse

Figure 3
Tensile strengths of Plates B to I all tests

Strength (N/mm²)
450
BMLE GML½W
BML¼W HEE
CMLE HE¼W
400 CML¼W HML¼W
DMLE HML½W
DML¼W IEE
GEE IE¼W
350 GE¼W IML¼W
GML¼W IML½W
Specification minimum

300

250

200
Longitudinal Transverse

Figure 4
Yield strengths of Plates B to I all tests
 Longitudinal Transverse
150 150
Edge Edge
¼ Width ¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

100 ½ Width 100 ½ Width

50 50
27J
20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
25

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 5
Charpy results for the Plate A End 'A'
 Longitudinal Transverse
150 150
Edge Edge
¼ Width ¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

100 ½ Width 100 ½ Width

50 50
27J
20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
26

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 6
Charpy results for the Plate A End 'B'
 Longitudinal Transverse
150 150
Edge Edge
¼ Width ¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

100 ½ Width 100 ½ Width

50 50
27J
20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
27

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 7
Charpy results for the Plate A Mid-Length
 Longitudinal Transverse
150 150
Edge Edge
¼ Width ¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

100 100

50 50
27J
20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
28

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 8
Charpy results for the Plate B Mid-Length
 Longitudinal Transverse
150 150
Edge Edge
¼ Width ¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

100 100

50 50
27J
20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
29

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 9
Charpy results for the Plate C Mid-Length
 Longitudinal Transverse
150 150
Edge Edge
¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

100 100

50 50
27J
20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
30

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 10
Charpy results for the Plate D Mid-Length
 Longitudinal Transverse
150 150
Edge Edge
¼ Width ¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

100 100

50 50
27J
20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
31

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 11
Charpy results for the Plate G End
 Longitudinal Transverse
150 150
¼ Width ¼ Width
½ Width ½ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

100 100

50 50
27J
20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
32

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 12
Charpy results for the Plate G Mid-Length
 Longitudinal Transverse
300 300
Edge Edge
250 ¼ Width 250 ¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

200 200

150 150

100 100

50 50
27J 20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
33

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 13
Charpy results for the Plate H End
 Longitudinal Transverse
300 300
¼ Width ¼ Width
250 ½ Width 250 ½ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

200 200

150 150

100 100

50 50
27J 20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
34

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 14
Charpy results for the Plate H Mid-Length
 Longitudinal Transverse
300 300
Edge Edge
250 ¼ Width 250 ¼ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

200 200

150 150

100 100

50 50
27J 20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
35

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 15
Charpy results for the Plate I End
 Longitudinal Transverse
300 300
¼ Width ¼ Width
250 ½ Width 250 ½ Width
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

200 200

150 150

100 100

50 50
27J 20J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
36

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60
50% 50%
40 40

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 -100 -50 0 50
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 16
Charpy results for the Plate I Mid-Length
 Longitudinal Transverse
27 J Transition Temperature (°C) 20J Transition Temperature (°C)

40 40

20 20

0 0

-20 -20

-40 -40

-60 -60

A B C D G H I A B C D G H I
37

50% FATT (°C) 50%FATT (°C)

40 40

20 20

0 0

-20 -20

-40 End A ½ W ML E -40

End A E ML ¼ W
-60 End A ¼ W ML ½ W -60

A B C D G H I A B C D G H I

Figure 17
Transition temperatures determined from Charpy results
Kmat, MPa m^0.5

300

200

125
100

0ºC
-10ºC
0
1 10 100 1000 10000 100000
Loading Rate, MPa m^0.5/s

Figure 18
Strain rate sensitivity of Kmat - Plate A
Kmat, MPa m^0.5
350
K-rate 10^4
300 K-rate 10^2

250

200

150
125
100

50

0
-60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80
Temperature (°C)

Figure 19
Temperature transition of K mat - Plate C

Kmat, MPa m^0.5

350
10°C
300 0°C
-10°C
250

200

10°C
150 0°C
125
100
-10°C
50

0
0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000
Loading Rate, MPa m^0.5/s

Figure 20
Strain rate sensitivity of Kmat - Plate C
Kmat, MPa m^0.5
300
K-rate 10^4

250

200

150
125
100

50

0
-40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20
Temperature (°C)

Figure 21
Temperature transition of K mat - Plate G

Kmat, MPa m^0.5

300

200

125
100

0
1 10 100 1000 10000 100000
Loading Rate, MPa m^0.5/s

Figure 22
Strain rate sensitivity of Kmat - Plate G
Kmat, MPa m^0.5
350
K-rate 10^4
300

250

200

150
125
100

50

0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30
Temperature (°C)

Figure 23
Temperature transition of K mat - Plate H

Kmat, MPa m^0.5

300

200

125
100

0
1 10 100 1000 10000 100000
Loading Rate, MPa m^0.5/s

Figure 24
Strain rate sensitivity of Kmat - at -15°C - Plate H
 Plate H Plate C
300 300
1.5kJ 1.5kJ
250 5.0kJ 250 5.0kJ
Charpy Values (J)

Charpy Values (J)

200 Plate 200 Plate
½ ¼
150 width 150 width

100 100

50 50
27J 27J
0 0
-100 -50 0 50 100 -100 -50 0 50 100
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)
42

100 100

80 80
Brittle Fracture (%)

Brittle Fracture (%)

60 60

40 50% 40 50%

20 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 100 -100 -50 0 50 100
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 25
Charpy toughness of plates after thermal simulation
 Charpy Energy (J) Brittle Fracture (%)
150 120
As Rolled As Rolled
Strain Aged Strain Aged
100

100 80

60

50%
43

50 40

27J 20

0 0
-100 -50 0 50 100 150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150
Test Temperature (°C) Test Temperature (°C)

Figure 26
Charpy toughness after strain age treatment