Estimation of crack propagation in a passenger ship's door corner

The main purpose of this study is to have an overview of critical crack size and growth, and their influence on the remaining fatigue life of door corner and associated bulkhead in order to set proper period for repair and service of structural components. Growth of cracks is calculated by using the fracture mechanics for two cases: the first assessment is made for a passenger ship's door corner where no visible cracks have been detected and the second assessment is conducted for the structure where cracks have been detected during inspections. The analysed door corner is situated in area of maximum shear forces of the ship hull. Loading of the door corner is generated by applying the measured nominal shear stresses of the associated bulkhead. Measured stresses correspond to 1500-hr data of a passenger ship's normal operation in different wave conditions