Experimental research on ultimate strength behaviors of cracked plates under uniaxial cyclic load

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the ultimate strength behaviors of cracked hull plates under uniaxial cyclic load using an experimental method. Test results of the elastic-plastic property, accumulative plastic damage, crack propagation rate and bearing capacity were obtained by conducting a series of model experiments on plate specimens. The affecting regularity of five load patterns on the accumulative plastic deformation, fatigue crack propagation and bearing capacity was mainly discussed. While the load patterns were designed to approximately simulate the possible wave loads hull plates may bear in actual sea conditions. The effects of accumulative plastic damage and fatigue crack damage on the ultimate strength were considered simultaneously. An equivalent numerical simulation method was developed to simplify the large number of cycles. The accuracy and rationality of the numerical simulation method were also verified. A few new insights were revealed for hull thick plates, which will be some fundamental foresights for the authors’ further experimental study on cracked stiffened plates.