Application of short repairs for fatigue life extension

The application of a new fatigue crack repair concept defined as ‘short repair’ is presented. This concept is based on crack removal by cutting. The objective of using a short repair is to extend the fatigue life of cracked welded connections. A short repair is an option to repair fatigue cracks, particularly for offshore structures where diving intervention is of high risk and the application of remote operated vehicles is an alternative. Short repairs were machined on welded T-butt plates by disc cutting. Experimental data have been analysed to determine crack growth rates, crack initiation and fatigue life extension after crack repair. Conclusions and recommendations are given.