🔍 Key Concepts

• Difference between stress concentration and stress relief in metal structures • Effect of a weak weld on crack initiation and propagation in ship structures • How plate distortion differs from crack formation as a failure mode

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself whether weld faults are more likely to concentrate stress or to relieve it in a structural member under load. • Consider which failure mode (cracks vs. distortion) is most directly linked to repeated cyclic loading and fatigue in a welded joint. • Think about what surveyors and classification societies are most concerned about when they inspect critical structural welds: are they mainly looking for sources of distortion, or for locations where cracks can start?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify whether faulty welds are known as areas of increased or decreased local stress. • Decide which problem is more dangerous for a primary structural member: crack initiation or plate distortion. • Match the correct combination of terms: stress concentration vs stress relief AND cracks vs plate distortion.