Simplified method for quasi-static collision assessment of a damaged tanker side panel

The paper presents a simplified analytical method to examine the energy absorbing mechanisms of intact and damaged small-scale stiffened plate specimens, quasi-statically punched at the mid-span by a rigid wedge indenter. The specimens scaled from a tanker side panel are limited by one span between web frames and stringers. The influence of the initial damage on the impact response is based on the plastic behaviour of an intact specimen. The initial damage is provoked at one-quarter from the support by the same indenter that, afterwards, punches the specimen at the mid-span. In practice, initial imperfections of this type could be due to minor incidents during ship service operation, such as collision of ships with floating objects. To validate the proposed simplified method, experiments and numerical simulations are conducted. The experimentally obtained force-displacement responses and shapes of the deformation show good agreement with the simulations performed by the explicit LS-DYNA finite element solver. The analytical method derives expressions to estimate the energy dissipated by the intact and the damaged specimens based on the plastic deformation mechanisms, assuming that both the plate and stiffener structural components absorb the incident energy through the rotation of the plastic hinges at the point of contact and at the supports and the membrane tension over the plastically deforming region between the loading and the supports.     

Experimental numerical and analytical analysis of the penetration of a scaled double-hull tanker side structure

The paper presents experimental, numerical and analytical analyses of a small-scale double-hull structure quasi-statically punched at the mid-span by a rigid flat edge indenter, to examine its energy-absorbing mechanism and fracture. The present study aims to further validate the numerical analysis procedure and the analytical method of individual stiffened panels and web girders against the experiment of the double-hull structure. The specimen, scaled from a tanker's double side structure, includes three spans between the web frames and two spans between the stringers. The paper provides practical information to estimate the extent of structural damage within ship sides during collision accidents. The experimentally obtained force-displacement response and deformation shape show a good agreement with the simulations performed by the explicit LS-DYNA finite element solver. The analysis of the double-hull structure demonstrates the accuracy of the procedure for identifying standard inputs used in numerical codes, in particular the definition of material plastic hardening and the calibration of the critical failure strain by tensile test simulation. The experimental and numerical results are used to validate the analytical method proposed in previous investigations at the plastic deformation stage and a revised semi-analytical method is proposed in the present study for the large penetration stage.     

Numerical prediction and mitigation of out-of-plane welding distortion in ship panel structure by elastic FE analysis

As an application to predict and mitigate the out-of-plane welding distortion by elastic FE analysis based on the inherent deformation theory, a panel structure of a pure car carrier ship is considered. The inherent deformations of different types of welded joints included in this ship panel structure are evaluated beforehand using thermal elastic plastic FE analysis. Applying idealized boundary condition to focus on the local deformation, elastic FE analysis shows that the considered ship panel structure will buckle near the edge and only bending distortion is dominant in the internal region. In order to mitigate out-of-plane welding distortion such as buckling and bending, straightening using line heating is employed. In the internal region, only inherent bending with the same magnitude as welding induced inherent bending is applied on the opposite side of welded joints (fast moving torch). On the other hand, only in-plane inherent strain produced by line heating is introduced to the edge region to correct buckling distortion (slow moving torch). The magnitude of out-of-plane welding distortion in this ship panel structure can be minimized to an accepted level.