Rosenhain Centenary Conference - 1. Engineering requirements 1.3 Materials requirements for offshore structures Discussion
The designer’s primary aims are avoidance of collapse and of unserviceability, generally through excessive deformation. These aims require knowledge of load extension characteristics. Structural strength depends on tangent modulus and deflexion on secant modulus so that premature departures from elasticity and proportionality are of importance. Definition of yield stress by the drop of beam method, while satisfactory for mild steel, may not be so for high yield materials particularly when structural stability is critical. The present definition of yield may have to be replaced by 0.2 % proof stress as has been common for light alloys. The influence of the limit of proportionality on structural strength has been observed in developing the design rules for plate girders for BS: 153, in the course of which tests undertaken on full-scale samples showed the proportional limit to be as low as 50 % of the nominal yield stress. The Tl steels in the U.S.A. exhibit major reduction in tangent modulus at about 85 % of their yield stress in compression.