The impact of the Polar Code on risk mitigation in Arctic waters: a “toolbox” for underwriters?

The existing risk weighing on vessel, crew and ecosystem in the Arctic and more globally in Polar waters promoted the adoption of the Polar Code (PC) early 2017, a mandatory international legal framework intended for enhanced safety and environmental protection. While the substance of the PC has been extensively analyzed, few studies have focused on the underlying relationships between the PC and underwriters. Based on an extensive literature review, documentary materials and interviews with insurance companies, this article conceptualizes the PC as a “toolbox” and analyzes how underwriters can exploit it in their work within the emerging Arctic market. The PC does not only regulate the navigation in Arctic waters in legal terms, but is also aimed at mitigating risks in the Polar areas through the identification of hazard sources and proceduralization of risk assessment. As a result we observe a certain “Polar Code paradox”. Even though the PC is a risk-based instrument and constitutes a key step for improving ship insurability, it has only limited capacity to assist underwriters in assessing risks and insuring vessels. Marine insurers still face a lack of data and high pending uncertainties leading them to exercise extreme caution with Arctic risks appraisal.     

基于动态分频段FRA法的自耦变压器绕组轴向移位故障诊断

针对传统的频率响应分析(FRA)法无法识别自耦变压器绕组常见轴向移位故障的问题,提出基于动态分频段的FRA法:首先,搭建自耦变压器轴向移位故障模拟平台,获取不同轴向移位故障下绕组频响数据;其次,将幅频特性曲线波峰点与相频特性曲线C-L过零点频率相同的点作为预备分频点,同时将频响数据动态划分为多个频段,并绘制分频段极坐标图;然后,提取极坐标图的4个灰度梯度共生矩阵纹理特征和对应的归一化特征参数;最后,通过图形与特征的变化规律分析自耦变压器绕组的状态。试验验证结果表明:采用基于动态分频段的FRA法,生成的极坐标图数据点重叠情况得到改善,有利于图形分析和特征提取;不同绕组发生轴向移位故障时,各频段极坐标图变化趋势明显;同一绕组发生不同程度轴向故障时,极坐标图随故障程度增加差异呈变大的趋势;采用基于动态分频段的FRA法能准确区分自耦变压器轴向移位的故障绕组与故障程度,并能为自耦变压器现场故障诊断提供参考。     

道路工程路基边桩放样方法的改进

通过对道路工程线路中线和路基边桩关系的分析,总结出一种更精确、更快捷、更方便的路基边桩放样方法———极坐标法。     

Investigations on the ship-ice impact: Part 1. Experimental methodologies

In the structural design of the Polar Class ships, glancing impact with ice has been considered as the governing load scenario for dimensioning the bow structure. At present, non-linear transient dynamic analysis has been reckoned as a fundamental requirement in the assessment of the structural strength of ships with higher ice classes. Under such requirement, understanding of the dynamic characteristics of the ship-ice impact load appears significant importance. The present study aims to investigate the spatial and temporal variations of the impact loads by simulating the glancing impact events between a polar research vessel and giant ice floes in ice tank. The ship-ice impact loads were recorded by a grid-based tactile sensor attached on the bow area of the model ship. To achieve a reasonable simulation on the design scenario described by the IACS Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships (UR I), a series of methodological calibration tests were preliminarily carried out to determine the key parameters that should be carefully monitored and controlled, accompanying with thorough discussions on the ship-ice impact process. This paper provides detailed information on the preliminary methodological calibrations and the tactile data processing techniques, including the identification of the ship-ice contact area, the depiction of the ice loading trail and the outline of the spatial distributions of local ice pressures. A companion paper provides detailed analyses and discussions regarding the spatial and temporal variation of the ice impact loads from the formal tests based on the proposed testing procedures obtained by the methodological calibrations.     

新建铁路中线桩测设的实用方法

根据实际工作经验 ,探讨新建铁路中线桩测设的一种实用方法 ,并阐述铁路施工复测的程序。重点介绍极坐标法在任意点置镜测设线路中线桩的原理和方法 ,该方法计算简便、使用灵活 ,已多次应用于铁路施工测量中 ,收效甚好     

Application of plastic framing requirements for polar ships

A new International Association of Classification Societies (ICAS) standard for Polar Ship design, in the form of a Unified Requirement is being developed by an international committee with representatives from many classification societies and with the active participation of many polar nations. The framing structural requirements have been developed by a combination of analysis of existing rules and ships, finite element analysis and analytical solutions of plastic collapse mechanisms. This paper describes the use of the rule formulae in designs. The formulae contain interactions between shear and bending and give the designer options and flexibility in satisfying the strength requirements. Effective design requires knowledge of the effects, and the possible approaches to reach a satisfactory design.     

The use of operational modal analysis and mode tracking for insight into polar vessel operations

Accurate dynamic models of flexible ship structures are required to predict structural vibration caused by environmental loads. Knowledge of dynamic or modal properties are important, for example, to study fatigue damage. In this paper, operational modal analysis (OMA) is used to identify the vibration characteristics of a polar vessel from full-scale acceleration measurements. Five modes are tracked over a range of different operating and environmental conditions, including calm, open water, two ice cases and an open water storm. Compared to the calm, open water conditions, vertical bending modes were generally affected the most by the operating environment, with natural frequency and damping increasing up to 3.7 and 349 %, respectively, in ice. Severity of two-node and three-node vertical bending responses, quantified using a root-mean-square value, were found to be especially large during the open water storm case. Temporal behaviour of two-node and three-node vertical bending due to wave-slamming further contained multiple whipping responses, pointing towards possible cumulative damage over a large number of stress cycles occurring at the midship. Higher damping in ice resulted in responses with lower magnitudes and shorter durations.     

Derivation of plastic framing requirements for polar ships

A new International Association of Classification Societies standard for polar ship design, in the form of a unified requirement is being developed by an international committee with representatives from many classification societies and with the active participation of many polar nations. The framing structural requirements have been developed by a combination of analysis of existing rules and ships, finite element (FE) analysis and analytical solutions of plastic collapse mechanisms. This paper describes the derivation of the 3-hinge and asymmetrical shear plastic collapse mechanisms using work–energy principles. Energy methods are robust and well suited for developing design standards. The results are shown to compare well with non-linear FE analyses of frame strength.     

Interannual variation of the Polar Front in the Japan/East Sea from summertime hydrography and sea level data

The Polar Front in the Japan/East Sea separates the southern warm water region from the northern cold water region. A merged TOPEX/POSEIDON and ERS-1/2 altimeter dataset and upper water temperature data were used to determine the frontal location and to examine the structure of its interannual variability from 1993 to 2001. The identified frontal location, where sea surface height gradient has a maximum about 10–20 cm over the horizontal distance of 100 km, corresponds well to the maximum subsurface horizontal temperature gradient. The front migrates more widely (36°N–41°N) in the western part of the sea than in the eastern part. The interannual migration induces large variability in upper water temperatures and sea surface height in the western region. Responsible physical mechanisms were studied using a reduced-gravity model. Differences between inflow and outflow change the total volume of warm water, and total warm water volume change in the warm water region uniformly pushes the front in the meridional direction across its mean position in the model simulation. Interannual variation of wind stress causes relatively wide migration of the modeled front in the western part.     

基于因子分析的极地邮轮舱室空气污染物研究

船舶舱室空气污染物是影响舱室舒适性的重要因素。以极地邮轮舱室空气污染物为研究对象,在分析其来源及相互影响因素的基础上,提出了采用因子分子法对舱室污染物进行降维的处理方法。进一步,基于相关样本数据的基础上,分别利用SPSS软件和MATLAB编程进行了污染物的因子分析。目前已有的样本数据显示公因子为两个：第一公因子在CO、细菌总数、可吸入颗粒物、甲醛和SO2上有较大的载荷；第二个公因子在甲醛、NO2和SO2上有较大的载荷。研究结果表明：SPSS软件和MATLAB在降维分析中研究结论一致。该研究结果可为对环境舒适度要求较高的船舶舱室空气污染物主动控制提供较好的理论依据和参考。