Abstract
This paper examines the residual stress distributions at selected depths in three stiffened 350WT steel plates representing typical stiffened steel plates used in modern ship construction. Residual stresses can develop from the welding process, and the magnitude of these stresses can be high enough to cause an early onset of yielding. Therefore, fatigue or other failures can also occur when welding-induced residual stresses are combined with service-load-induced stresses. In this study, the welding-induced residual stresses of these stiffened steel plate specimens were quantified at the near surface using the X-Ray diffraction method and at various depths using the neutron diffraction method. Transverse and longitudinal stress components for all three specimens were collected and analyzed. The residual stress profiles determined from both methods were found to be similar. However, some disagreement was found within the heat-affected zone of the weld bead. This paper discusses the residual stress distributions found in the three specimens and compares the two methods of measurement.
