TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 1-1

1.1 USCG NVIC 7-68........................................................................................ 1-1

1.2 Development over the Past Four Decades ................................................... 1-2

1.3 Scope of Work ............................................................................................. 1-4

1.4 Organization of the Report........................................................................... 1-4

2 GENERAL GUIDANCE OF FRACTURE REPAIRS ................................................................ 2-1

2.1 General Principles........................................................................................ 2-1

2.2 General Guidance......................................................................................... 2-1

2.3 Location of Fractures ................................................................................... 2-2

2.4 Criticality of Fractures ................................................................................. 2-2

2.5 Fracture Threshold Criteria.......................................................................... 2-4

2.6 Fracture Repair Option ................................................................................ 2-4

2.7 Design Modification as Permanent Repair .................................................. 2-5

3 TECHNICAL BACKGROUND .................................................................................................. 3-1

3.1 Terminologies .............................................................................................. 3-1

3.2 USCG, Class and Owner.............................................................................. 3-1

3.3 Repair Plan................................................................................................... 3-2

3.4 Material of Steel........................................................................................... 3-4

3.5 Nondestructive Testing (NDT) .................................................................... 3-8

3.6 Qualification of Welders and NDT Personnel............................................. 3-9

4 ABS AND INDUSTRY EXPERIENCES WITH FRACTURES ................................................ 4-1

4.1 Areas Prone to Fractures in Oil Carriers...................................................... 4-2

4.2 Areas Prone to Fractures in Bulk Carriers ................................................... 4-4

4.3 Areas Prone to Fractures in Container Carriers ........................................... 4-6

4.4 Conclusions.................................................................................................. 4-8

5 CLASSIFYING STRUCTURAL FAILURES............................................................................. 5-1

5.1 USCG CAIP Scheme for Classing Structural Failures................................ 5-1

5.2 Generic Scheme for Assigning Criticality Classes ...................................... 5-3

5.3 Conclusions.................................................................................................. 5-9

6 FRACTURE THRESHOLD CRITERIA ..................................................................................... 6-1

6.1 Fracture Mechanics...................................................................................... 6-1

6.2 Fracture Mechanics Methodology Specified by USCG CAIP .................... 6-2

6.3 Industry Standard for Fracture Mechanics Calculations.............................. 6-3

6.4 Research on Fracture Mechanics Applications............................................ 6-4

6.5 Challenges.................................................................................................... 6-5

6.6 Summary and Recommendations ................................................................ 6-6

7 FRACTURE REPAIR TECHNIQUES........................................................................................ 7-1

7.1 Gap Analysis................................................................................................ 7-1

7.2 Welding........................................................................................................ 7-6

7.3 Repair Techniques ....................................................................................... 7-7

7.4 Design Modification .................................................................................. 7-13

7.5 Recommendations...................................................................................... 7-13

Appendix A. Steel Grades and Properties Specified by IACS ............................................................ A-1

Appendix B Welding Consumables .................................................B-1

Appendix C Industry Experiences With Fracture Repairs ................................................................C-1

Appendix D Repair Suggestion Examples Based on IACS Rec. No. 96, 84 and 76............................... D-1

Appendix E Criticality Classes for Structural Failures........................................................E-1

ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................................... I

USEFUL WEB LINKS.............................................................................................................................II

PUBLICATIONS OF ABS, IACS, TSCF, USGC ................................................................................. IV

REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... VI

PROJECT TEAM AND SSC PROJECT TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ............................................... IX