Sumitomo Metals Ships First Thick Fatigue Crack Arrestor Steel for Shipbuilding

Sumitomo Metal Industries provided first thick product with 80 millimeters thick of the original high strength flat steel, fatigue crack arrestor steel for major container carrier with more than 10,000 twenty feet equivalent units. The firm provides 70 tonnes of the steel products for hatch corner application. Kawasaki Shipbuilding Company designs the carrier and Nantong Cosco KHI Ship Engineering (NACKS) of China builds it by April 2008. Sumitomo Metals developed FCA steel in 2001. The product has better fatigue resistance and contributes to longer life for ship by reducing occurring and expansion of fatigue crack. The products also can reduce life cycle cost of ship by reducing additional process while traditional shipbuilding plate needs additional process to improve durability of welding parts. Sumitomo Metals got shipbuilding grade for FCA steel from 4 shipbuilding associations including Nippon Kaiji Kyokai. The firm already got around 4,000 tonnes order for FCA steel for 51 ships and expects order for another 9 ships. The firm got additional shipbuilding grade for FCA steel with 80 mm thick from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai and American Bureau of Shipping in 2006.