Evaluation of compressive properties of the ship plate after seawater corrosion based on 3D evolution prediction

Stiffened ship plate is one of the most important parts of coasting vessels. Due to long-term immersion in seawater, the mechanical properties of the plates are easily affected by corrosion. This study calculated the long-term corrosion rates of ship plates in 3 typical sea areas around the world by Fick's law and compared them with relevant regional standards. Then, on the basis of randomly setting corrosion parameters (diameters and number of initial exposure areas), a 3D corrosion evolution simulation method for steel was applied to evaluate the compressive capacity degradation rate of a typical size ship plate for different corrosion years. The results showed that the bearing capacity degradation rate of the ship plate was obviously affected by corrosion years (the distribution of corrosion area and depth was determined), distribution of corrosion location and environmental factors (seawater temperature and Cl− content). This study could provide a technical reference for evaluating the safety performance of ship plates and other similar steel structural members of ocean engineering.