INVESTIGATION OF THE MV-KURDISTAN CASUALTY

The Failure of the MV Kurdistan demonstrates the classic combination o f high stress, low toughness and defect which are required to cause in itiation of a brittle failure. This paper describes the failure invest igation. The casualty illustrates the importance that secondary stress es and thermal stresses can have on the conditions which lead to failu re. The formal investigation into the Kurdistan involved the use of el astic-plastic fracture mechanics (for the first time in a U.K. court) to help ascertain the circumstances leading to the failure. (C) 1997 E lsevier Science Ltd.