Below is a photo of the SS Schenectady a tanker built by Kai

Below is a photo of the SS Schenectady, a tanker built by Kaiser Shipbuilding during WW2. It experienced a catastrophic failure in Portland. New techniques involving welding were used in her construction. Following a very cold night in 1942, the residents of Portland, OR awoke to find her hull almost completely torn in two. Using your knowledge of mechanical behavior, discuss what happened. Be sure to use terminology we discussed in class.

Solution

The failure method of SS Schenectady was probably a brittle fracture, caused by low-grade steel. This would become highly brittle in cold weather, exacerbating any existing faults and becoming much more liable to brittle fracture. A defective weld was present in a region of stress concentration arising at a design detail.