Dear Colleagues,

Marine structures of various types are subjected to different types of loads due to waves, vibrations or uneven distribution of weight, which can lead to high levels of cyclic loading. Thus, fatigue and fracture should be taken into consideration as some of the basic criteria when designing marine structures in order to ensure the appropriate safety level. Structural integrity of marine structures should be ensured under various environments, and given that it can be affected by different types of loads, the study of fatigue and fracture in these structures should also involve simulations using multi-physics or even multi-scale approaches in order to predict the strength of marine structures, crack growth or even their potential failure.

This Special Issue focuses on the study of fatigue and fracture mechanics of marine structures by using different novel approaches, including both analytical and numerical models. Relevant case studies will be considered, as well as studies exploring the effects of various parameters on the fatigue and fracture of marine structures and their components under different environments. Furthermore, we will also allow advanced predictive models, which can be incorporated in general design and optimization frameworks using not only FE or other relevant methods but machine learning methods as well, to be developed and presented. Finally, additive manufacturing methods for marine structures may also be evaluated here using different methods. Both original and review papers are welcome.

Dr. Nikolaos Karkalos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• mechanics of fatigue and fracture of marine structures
• mechanical behavior of welded joints created using various techniques
• novel techniques for improving the strength of welds in marine structures
• assessment of fatigue limit state of marine structures
• advanced models for describing the fracture of materials used in marine structures
• assessment of weld quality for marine structures
• optimization frameworks for efficient marine structures design
• AI methods for predicting fatigue and fracture of marine structures
• design and evaluation of additively manufactured parts for marine structures with emphasis on fatigue behavior
• meshless methods for fracture propagation simulation in marine structures
• multiscale methods for fracture propagation simulation in marine structures