PSI - Issue 82

Goran Vukelić et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 82 (2026) 3– 8 Vukelić et al./ Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000

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Fig. 2. The average percentage of mass loss (ML) for CM-CM, AM-AM, and CM-AM welded AISI 316L steel exposed to the natural marine environment. Specimens kept in room atmosphere (RA) are shown for reference.

Understanding the influence of the marine environment on the strength of structural materials is of critical importance in the design and construction of marine structures (Načinović et al., 2024). In this study, engineering stress-strain curves were generated from uniaxial tensile tests performed on welded specimens following exposure to a corrosive marine environment for one, three, and six months. Each test group comprised five specimens, and the presented stress-strain curves represent the averaged results. Fig. 3 presents the experimental values of ultimate tensile strength for specimens exposed to the marine environment over different durations, combined within a single comparative diagram. The relationship between tensile strength and exposure time is illustrated using approximation curves fitted to the experimental data. The corresponding coefficients of determination (R²) are reported to indicate the accuracy of the fit. This statistical parameter quantifies the degree of correlation between the experimental data and the polynomial approximation, thereby reflecting how effectively the model captures the observed variability.

Fig. 3. Change of ultimate tensile strength for CM-CM, AM-AM, and CM-AM welded AISI 316L steel exposed to the natural marine environment for one, three, and six months.