OFFSHORE PLATFORM SPECIFICATION

The American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 2Z covers two areas: 1) testing weld HAZ toughness using CTOD tests and 2) delayed cracking tests using the controlled thermal severity test and Y-groove test. The recommendation was revised in 1992 and is currently being reviewed for a second revision intended to reduce some of the conservatism built into the original document by the lack of full understanding of the embrittling mechanisms in the HAZ of welded structural steels but now strongly supported by a substantial data base of good material. The paper discusses some of the proposed changes and contains data on the currently achievable fracture toughness levels.