Development of dynamic crack growth tests on mooring steels for offshore applications
Vicinay Marine aims to improve their knowledge of the behavior of its steels under specific environmental and operating conditions in to develop products (mainly mooring chains for off-shore applications) adapted to the specific conditions of use they will face during their service life, offering a better performance and a greater durability.
To this end, new dynamic tests to assess crack growth in steels are developed.
Fields of action:
- Ad-hoc advanced testing
- Advanced characterization of materials
- Development of advanced materials
Development of new dynamic tests
New dynamic tests have been developed through the following stages:
- Detailed study of the distribution of stresses in the components (links and steel chains)
- Definition of the cycles and variable loads to be applied during the tests
- Definition of the variation in the conditions of the environment (from reference tests in air to tests with cathodic overprotection in sea water)
The results of these tests are complemented by the fractographic evaluation of the fractures using SEM to observe the character of the fracture at the different stages of crack growth.
Results
A methodology has been developed that combines ad-hoc designed dynamic crack growth tests with advanced metallographic analysis using scanning electron microscopy. The dynamic tests carried out, unlike static tests, allow the characteristics of steels for offshore mooring applications to be assessed in scenarios that are more realistic.
These investigations favour the detailed characterisation of the materials used in the manufacture of links and connectors and, therefore, the development of products that are more suitable for each project depending on the environmental and operational conditions
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“Solid state forming technologies gather a diverse group manufacturing means, materials and sectors with very different characteristics. However, they face common challenges associated with the incorporation of new materials, demanding production rates and increasing requests for the products they manufacture.
Developing components with advanced features, improving the useful life of manufacturing tools and addressing new markets and industrial applications are some of the areas through which we add value to the companies that design, manufacture and apply these components.”
