It is with great pleasure that I introduce this report of the F.I.P. Commission on Prestressing Steel and Systems dealing with the Assessment of Mechanical Properties of Structural Materials for Cryogenic Applications.

The importance of this report lies in the fact that it provides a basis for the comparison of test results concerning the mechanical properties of materials under cryogenic conditions, as obtained in investigations carried out in different laboratories. In this way, the design of this type of structure can be based on data that are widely accepted. The tests described in the report are not limited to materials used in storage vessels for liquefied gases. They can also be applied to materials used in concrete structures in regions with low or very low temperatures, such as Arctic areas. The test methods can therefore be used by laboratories involved in the investigation of materials.

This report has been written by Prof. Dr.-Ing. F. S. Rostásy from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Federal Republic of Germany, member of the F.I.P. Commission on Prestressing Steel and Systems. Several members of this Commission have critically reviewed his proposals. The Commission is very grateful to Prof. Rostásy for the work he has done in writing, editing, and preparing the final version of this report for publication. He truly accomplished a major task almost on his own. Therefore, this report bears his name as author.

It is a strong wish of the F.I.P. Commission that this report will be used as a widely accepted basis for the assessment of the mechanical properties of materials to be used in (prestressed) concrete structures subjected to low, very low, and cryogenic temperatures.

Prof. Dr. Ir. A. S. G. Bruggeling
Chairman
F.I.P. Commission on Prestressing Steel and Systems