ANALYSIS

The Failure
Tank barge I.O.S 3301 split in a manner which has occurred many times at ambient
temperatures in structures fabricated from mild and low alloy steels. The fracture
surface pattern, the speed of crack propagation, and the tensile loading at the time
of failure readily identify this failure as a brittle fracture, a problem which has
extensively researched, particularly with respect to ship structural failure in the
early and middle 1940s.
To understand the cause and to derive countermeasures, this kind of failure can be
divided into two phases, initiation of the crack and propagation of the crack through
the steel. Propagation may occur at very low nominal stress, as little as one fourth
of the yield stress.
Crack Initiation
Both metallurgical factors and engineering factors contribute to the probability of
initiating brittle fracture in a steel structure.
Metallurgical factors
Chemical composition of the steel, grain size, heat treatment, and manufacturing
methods affect steels toughness, or resistance to brittle fracture. Steel which is
tough absorbs energy by plastic flow and thus limits the consequences to stretching
rather than cracking. Various tests have been derived to measure toughness based
on the steels ability to absorb energy.
Steel plating used in constructing the hull of I.O.S 33301 was classified as Grade B &
C steel by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Grade B & C steel are not
required to be tested for any specific transition temperatures. The wide spectrum of
V-notch values for these shipbuilding steels on energy- absorption scale shows 15
foot pound Charpy V-notch values in different temperature ranges rather than ABS
Specified temperatures. This problem in the control of steels resistance to brittle
fracture is of primary importance and contributes directly to other sources of
unpredictability in ship design and construction.
Engineering factors
Because of the loading of I.O.S 3301 was static at the time of fracture, the speed of
the load application was not a factor in the casualty. However, the intersection of
deck and horizontal and longitudinal bulkheads resulted in localized stress
concentrations. The doublers plate welded under the port kingpost further increased
the notch effect of such an intersection and thereby increased stress
concentrations. This inch plate also added to the massiveness of the intersection
and increased the triaxial tensile stresses. The initiation of second brittle fracture

under the starboard kingpost verified the existence of stress concentrations as a

result of the structural arrangement.