Flame Straightening Quenched-and-Tempered Steels in Ship Construction

Abstract : Flame straightening quenched-and-tempered steel procedures were successfully employed by trained shipyard personnel on portions of a LASH (lighter Aboard Ship) ship under construction with minimal acceptable loss in mechanical properties and with considerable savings in time and money. Test checks were conducted in the laboratory with simulated experiments on steel panels 150 inches by 48 inches by 5/16 inch and stiffened by angles at 30-inch intervals. As much as two inches of unfairness of the plating was effectively removed. A recommended procedure is presented.