Full-Scale Measurements of Welding-Induced Initial Deflections and Residual Stresses in Steel-Stiffened Plate Structures

Plated structures such as ships and offshore structures are constructed using welding techniques that attach support members (or stiffeners) to the plating. During this process, initial imperfections develop in the form of initial deformations (deflections or distortions) and residual stresses. These initial imperfections significantly affect the buckling and ultimate strength of these structures. Therefore, to assess the strength of welded plate structures, it is very important to predict the magnitude and pattern of welding-induced initial imperfections and their effects on buckling and ultimate strength. To determine the reliability of the prediction methods, it is desirable to validate the theoretical or numerical predictions of welding-induced initial imperfections through comparison with full-scale actual measurements. However, full-scale measurement databases are lacking, as they are costly to obtain. This study contributes to the development of a full-scale measurement database of welding-induced initial imperfections in steel-stiffened plate structures. The target structures are parts of real (full-scale) deckhouses in very large crude oil carrier class floating, production, storage and offloading unit structures. For parametric study purposes, four test structures by varying plate thickness are measured while the stiffener types and weld bead length are fixed. Modern technologies for measuring initial deformations and residual stresses are applied. The details of the measurement methods are documented for the use of other researchers and practicing engineers who want to validate their computational models for predicting welding-induced initial imperfections.