GNEE Delivers Duplex Stainless Steel Ship Plates For Chemical Tankers

Recently, GNEE has completed the processing of 600 tons of duplex stainless steel plates supporting the lead ship of a global chemical tanker under construction and successfully delivered the products.

It is understood that the ship plate material involved in this project is currently the world's highest-grade marine duplex stainless steel plate. In addition to stricter requirements on corrosion resistance, mechanical properties, welding performance, etc ., the roughness of both upper and lower surfaces is required to be within 5 microns, and no scratches are allowed on either side of the steel plate. Duplex stainless steel, which combines the dual characteristics of high strength and high corrosion resistance, plus excellent welding performance, is known as a "high-quality product among steels". It is widely used in high-end manufacturing fields such as special construction, nuclear power, petroleum and petrochemical industries, and marine engineering. In terms of chemical tanker construction, this material can effectively meet the demand for transporting a variety of chemicals; its high strength can also significantly reduce the hull weight and improve transportation efficiency.

Compared with conventional duplex stainless steel, marine duplex stainless steel has higher technical requirements and greater production difficulties due to the particularity of its processing technology and service environment, and its core technology has long been monopolized by a handful of advanced enterprises. On this occasion, GNEE joined hands with cooperative companies, gave full play to its technical and processing advantages, and provided the shipyard with a "one-stop" service covering "material supply-component processing-distribution". It processes raw materials into the specifications and shapes required by the shipyard, so that the shipyard only needs to carry out the final assembly and welding.

Stainless steel materials have extremely high quality requirements and considerable technical difficulties in welding, deformation prevention, carburization prevention, surface scratch prevention, polishing and grinding, and pickling passivation. In addition, each ship has thousands of components, which is an extremely large number-all these have posed challenges to the material management and control, production site management, and plan control of ship plate processing. In particular, the design of the corrugated bulkhead of stainless steel chemical tankers not only requires stability, but also demands enhanced bulkhead strength, rigidity, and corrosion resistance.

At the same time, factors such as the diversification of ship plate material sources and the existence of thickness differences in ship plate assembly welding further increase the processing difficulty of chemical tanker ship plates. The special hull structure, with characteristics such as ultra-wide ship plate width, longitudinal seam splicing, and one-time forming of Ω-shaped (double Z-shaped) welding and bending, puts forward higher requirements for the precision of finished products. In response to these challenges, multiple departments of GNEE closely cooperated, jointly discussed and formulated a reasonable processing technology plan covering cutting, edge planing, welding, bending, and radiographic testing (RT). Relying on mature technology, rich experience, and advanced equipment, GNEE made precise arrangements for every link from raw materials to processing (including cutting, edge planing, welding, bending) and weld radiographic testing, ensuring the overall precision of components and making the prefabrication and processing indicators of the final products meet the design requirements.

Especially in the welding and bending links, relying on core patented technologies, GNEE realizes the assembly welding of ship plates with different thicknesses followed by bending, which ensures the overall precision of chemical tanker ship plates. Through the unremitting efforts of both parties, the prefabrication and processing indicators of the products finally met the design requirements, winning recognition from the shipowner and the shipbuilding enterprise.

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If you want to learn about or purchase other ship plates from GNEE, you can send an email to info@gneesteels.com. We will be very happy to serve you.