Experimental fatigue tests of a typical structural detail

A series of fatigue tests is under course in the Ship Structures Laboratory of the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Navale e Tecnologie Marine (DINAV) of the Genoa University on a particular ship structure detail: an ordinary T-section stiffener intersecting a deep web girder. The specimens have been manufactured following standard shipyard’s fabrication practice and up to now three of them have been tested till complete failure of the stiffener’s face plate. The aim of this paper is to describe the tests facilities and features together with the progressive monitoring of stresses by means of strain gauges technique. Moreover, checks of cracks growth by means of non destructive methods during and after failure have been carried out. An analysis of the data records collected during tests allows to compare tests results with design guidelines. The measured stresses on the specimen has been used as a calibration instrument for a finite element analysis carried out on a series of numerical models of the structures under consideration. Also advice for next tests has been pointed out.