Welded joints in offshore structures: the significance of data derived from small and full scale tests

The fatigue performance of two thermal mechanical controlled process (TMCP) steels is compared to that of the traditional Euronorm 25 Fe510 on the basis of tests on T-Butts and full-scale X-joints. The performance of all steels is found to be equivalent and comparable to that reported in the literature for the traditional steel. The relevance of mean S-N curves and defect assessment standards proposed in the literature to the TMCP steels is evaluated. The effectiveness of cathodic protection is assessed and found to depend on the applied stress range. (A)