HYDROSPACE STEELS

THE ROLE THAT STEEL WILL PLAY IN THE CRITICAL HYDROSPACE APPLICATIONS IS REVIEWED. THE MOST DEMANDING MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSURFACE, PRESSURIZED, MANNED, BULLIENT, MOBILE STRUCTURES OR VEHICLES, OF EITHER THE CIVILIAN OR THE MILITARY TYPE. HYDROSPACE STRUCTURES CAN BE DESIGNED IN WATER WHOSE SALT CONTENT RANGES FROM 3.2 TO 3.6 PERCENT BY WEIGHT AND WHOSE TEMPERATURE RANGE IS ONLY FROM 30 TO 100 F. PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STEELS, WELD METALS, AND FABRICATION PROCESSES THAT INDICATE SUCCESSFUL STEEL WELDMENTS IN HYDROSPACE APPLICATIONS. NEW ALLOY STEEL SYSTEMS SUITABLE FOR HYDROSPACE VEHICLE HULLS ARE DISCUSSED. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INERT-GAS-SHIELDED METAL-ARC (GMA) PROCESS IS A STEP TOWARD IMPROVING THE SHIELDING OF WELD METAL AND THE PREDICTABILITY OF ALLOY TRANSFER. THE TOUGHNESS OF WELD METALS, PARTICULARLY HIGH-STRENGTH WELD METALS, CAN BE FURTHER IMPROVED IF THEY ARE DEPOSITED BY THE INERT-GAS- SHIELDED TUNGSTEN ARC (GTA) PROCESS. HOWEVER, THE RATE OF WELD-METAL DEPOSITION IN THE GTA PROCESS IS MUCH LOWER THAN IN THE GMA PROCESS. THE ADVANCES IN METHODS OF PREDICTING THE WELDABILITY OF BASE METALS WHILE UNDER DEVELOPMENT, THE IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPOSITION AND PROCESSING FACTORS CONTROLLING THE PROPERTIES OF WELD METALS, AND THE CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT OF THE PROCESSES FOR JOINING STEELS SUGGESTS THAT THE NEW ULTRA-SERVICE STEELS WILL BE FABRICATED INTO HYDROSPACE VEHICLES HAVING THE DESIRED STRENGTH, TOUGHNESS, AND RELATED PROPERTIES. THE MOST SERIOUS OBSTACLE TO MEETING THE FULL RANGE OF PREDICTIONS APPEARS TO BE THE ATTAINMENT OF HIGH TOUGHNESS IN HEAVY-GAGE PLATES.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 95, P 4-11, 9 FIG, 5 TAB, 1 PHOT
• Authors:
  • Gross, J
• Publication Date: 1969-11

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Science and Technology

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alloy steel; Fabrication; Inert gas shielded arc welding; Seas; Steel; Tungsten; Underwater construction; Underwater structures; Weld metal
• Old TRIS Terms: Hydrospace vehicles; Inert gas welding; Marine atmospheres
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00217008
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 21 1970 12:00AM