Experimental investigation of the strength and stability of submarine pressure hulls with and without artificial corrosion damage

A submarine may have to operate for a period of time with local corrosion damage in the pressure hull if a suitable repair method is unavailable or too expensive for implementation. This paper describes collapse tests on twenty ring-stiffened aluminium cylinders, which were conducted to study the effect of corrosion damage on hull strength and stability. Artificial hull thinning was found to reduce the collapse strength of experimental models through high local stresses in the corroded region, leading to early onset of yielding and inelastic buckling. Bending associated with the eccentricity due to one-sided thinning was found to further increase the local stresses in the hull. Overall collapse pressures were more severely affected by corrosion damage than interframe collapse pressures. The percentage reduction in overall collapse pressure, compared with intact experimental models, was found to be closely related to the percentage depth of thinning. The accuracy of conventional collapse pressure predictions for the experimental models was significantly better for intact than for corroded cylinders.     

Analysis of the accident of the MVNakhodka. Part 2. Estimation of structural strength

In the early morning of January 2, 1997, a Russian tanker, the MVNakhodka, broke in two in the Sea of Japan. The fore part of the vessel drifted and was stranded on the coast of Japan, and the aft part sank. The coast of Japan was seriously polluted by spilled heavy oil. Following this disaster, the Japanese Government established a Committee for the Investigation of the Causes of the Casualty of theNakhodka. This paper deals with the structural strength of MVNakhodka at the time of the accident. First the structural characteristics of theNakhodka are described, and the reduction in thickness of the structural members are estimated based on the data measured on the fore part of the vessel which drifted ashose. Then the ultimate longitudinal strength of the hull girder at the time of the accident is evaluated by applying Smith's method, and the possibility of break-up collapse due to excess loads is discussed. The mechanism of fracture at the bottom plate is also discussed based on the observed fracture surfuce of the cross section. Finally an FEM (finite element method) simulation of the break-up of the hull girder is performed. It is shown that buckling/plastic collapse took place at the deck plate near Fr.153, which was followed by the successive buckling collapse of the side shell plate of the hull girder. Right after the collapse of the deck structure, the bottom plate fractured just in front of the transverse bulkhead at Fr.153. This article is based on an article that appeared in Japanese in the Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Japan, vol. 183 (1998).     

Accuracy of nonlinear finite element collapse predictions for submarine pressure hulls with and without artificial corrosion damage

Nonlinear finite element (FE) collapse pressure predictions are compared to experimental results for submarine pressure hull test specimens with and without artificial corrosion and tested to collapse under external hydrostatic pressure. The accuracy of FE models, and their sensitivity to modeling and solution procedures, are investigated by comparing FE simulations of the experiments using two different model generators and three solvers. The standard FE methodology includes the use of quadrilateral shell elements, nonlinear mapping of measured geometric imperfections, and quasi-static incremental analyses including nonlinear material and geometry. The FE models are found to be accurate to approximately 11%, with 95% confidence, regardless of the model generator and solver that is used. Collapse pressure predictions for identical FE models obtained using each of the three solvers agree within 2.8%, indicating that the choice of FE solver does not significantly affect the predicted collapse pressure. The FE predictions are found to be more accurate for corroded than for undamaged models, and neglecting the shell eccentricity that arises due to one-sided shell thinning is found to significantly decrease the resulting accuracy of the FE model.     

Strength and stability of double cylindrical shell structure subjected to hydrostatic external pressure—II: stability

This paper is the second part of the structure study of double cylindrical shell subjected to hydrostatic external pressure. The author makes researches on the relationship between inner and outer shells of pressurized double cylinders using equilibrium conditions of forces and deformation compatibility conditions with ring plate orthogonally connected to inner and outer shells and puts forward the expressions of longitudinal and circumferential forces of double pressurized cylinder. In this paper, equilibrium equations are established for a double cylindrical shell stiffened longitudinally and transversely and subjected to uniform hydrostatic external pressure by using an adjacent equilibrium method and a solution with high accuracy is presented to calculate theoretically critical pressures of panel buckling and interframe shell buckling. The solution can be used to both the double and single cylindrical shells without longitudinal stiffeners and therefore, it may be applied widely with higher accuracy. Also, some simplified formulae for the engineering application are given to calculate the panel buckling and the interframe shell buckling strengh.     

凹型加肋锥-环-柱结合壳强度的模型试验研究

为考察凹型加肋锥-环-柱结合壳的力学行为,设计制作了3个凹型加肋锥-柱/锥-环-柱结合壳系列精车模型,采用分区样条等参元方法对它们进行了应力计算.分别对3个模型进行了静水外压试验,测量其应力,计算应力与实测应力吻合较好.模型试验和计算结果表明,凹型加肋锥-环-柱结合壳能有效降低锥、柱壳结合部的应力峰值.通过对模型试验结果的分析,得出了一些对指导凹型加肋锥-环-柱结合壳结构设计有实用价值的结论.     

Local joint flexibility of tubular X-joints stiffened with external ring or external plates

In the present paper, the Local Joint Flexibility (LJF) of the ring-stiffened X-joints and plate-stiffened X-joints under compressive load is investigated. In the first phase, a finite element (FE) model was generated and verified with the results of available experimental tests and equations. In the next phase, a set number of 234 FE models were created to evaluate the role of the external ring size (β_r and τ_r), the external plate size (β_p and τ_p), and the connection geometry (γ, τ, and β) on the LJF factor (f_LJF). In these FE models, the weld connecting the chord and brace members was generated. The results indicated that the f_LJF of a plate stiffened joint can be down to 76% of the f_LJF of the corresponding un-stiffened joint. Also, the effect of the ring size on the f_LJF was more than the effect of the plate size on the f_LJF, because of the stiffener position. Despite the notable effect of the ring and the plate on the f_LJF, there is not any study or formula on tubular connections stiffened with ring or plate. Therefore, the FE results were used to propose two parametric formulas for determining the f_LJF in X-joints with external ring or external plate under brace compressive load. Moreover, the derived formulas were checked based on the UK DoE acceptance criteria.     

波浪中船体梁后极限强度特性的实验评估(英文)

Experimental investigations into the collapse behavior of a box-shape hull girder subjected to extreme wave-induced loads are presented.The experiment was performed using a scaled model in a tank.In the middle of the scaled model,sacrificial specimens with circular pillar and trough shapes which respectively show different bending moment-displacement characteristics were mounted to compare the dynamic collapse characteristics of the hull girder in waves.The specimens were designed by using finite element(FE)-analysis.Prior to the tank tests,static four-point-bending tests were conducted to detect the load-carrying capacity of the hull girder.It was shown that the load-carrying capacity of a ship including reduction of the capacity after the ultimate strength can be reproduced experimentally by employing the trough type specimens.Tank tests using these specimens were performed under a focused wave in which the hull girder collapses under once and repetitive focused waves.It was shown from the multiple collapse tests that the increase rate of collapse becomes higher once the load-carrying capacity enters the reduction path while the increase rate is lower before reaching the ultimate strength.     

Collapse of composite-repaired cylinders with internal metal loss subjected to external hydrostatic pressure

The present study investigates the collapse performance of composite-repaired cylinders with internal metal loss subjected to external pressure. Three groups of intact, thinned, and repaired cylinders were designed, analytically verified, fabricated, geometrically measured, externally tested, and numerically modeled. Each group had three nominally identical cylinders to ensure the repeatability of experiments. The cylinders had the same end closure, effective length, total length, external radius, and intact thickness for an equivalent comparison. The thinned cylinder was considered as the intact cylinder with internal metal loss, whereas the repaired cylinder was considered as the thinned cylinder with composite reinforcement. The results indicated that the external loading capacity of cylinders with internal metal loss could be fully restored and even enhanced by composite reinforcement. Composite-repaired cylinders are much less sensitive to initial geometrical imperfections than intact cylinders.     

考虑筋/板相互作用的环肋圆柱壳屈曲强度分析

环肋圆柱壳是潜艇耐压壳体的一种主要结构形式.环肋圆柱壳的失稳破坏主要表现在肋骨间的壳板失稳和总体失稳.在计算肋骨间的壳板失稳时,传统方法认为肋骨为壳板提供简支边界,忽略了在边界上肋骨和壳板的相互影响.在实际结构中,由于肋骨提供扭转刚度,壳板在与肋骨相交的边界上将存在弯矩,并非自由支持边界.因而,壳板失稳时,筋/板产生相互影响,提高了壳板的屈曲强度.本文的主要目的是,推导考虑筋/板相互影响的环肋圆柱壳壳板屈曲强度的理论计算方法,分析筋/板的相互关系.通过本文的算例表明,本文推导的计算方法以及所编制的计算程序是可靠的,可以用于工程设计.     

裂纹尖端塑性区三维有限元分析

裂纹尖端塑性区的大小与其三维约束状态有关,而三维约束状态不仅与板厚还与外载荷、材料性质有关.因此不论是薄板还是厚板,用平面应力或者平面应变来模拟其状态都有局限性.现阶段对于三维约束状态下的裂纹还没有一个公认的可以准确计算塑性区大小的公式.文章用有限元对小范围屈服下,含Ⅰ型中心穿透裂纹板裂纹尖端的三维塑性区进行了研究,分析了硬化指数、屈服强度以及泊松比对塑性区大小的影响.计算从平面应力逐渐过渡到平面应变,结果与现有理论的预测结果进行比较,进而给出了一个计算裂纹尖端塑性区大小的计算公式.     

Numerical investigation on the ultimate strength of stiffened cylindrical shells considering residual stresses and shakedown

In this paper, the effects of residual stresses on the ultimate strength of stiffened cylinders are numerically investigated with an emphasis on shakedown which might occur during the service of these structures. Residual stresses caused by two types of actions, namely, cold bending and welding, are simulated with simplified approaches in numerical analysis. Cold bending stresses are simulated by simulating cold rolling and elastic springback until the desired curvature for cylindrical shell is obtained. Welding is simulated by applying cooling down to a certain temperature on the elements adjacent to stiffener-shell joints to obtain weld-shrinkage with realistic magnitudes. Six small-scale externally pressurized ring-stiffened cylinder models are utilized to evaluate the appropriateness of the method for inclusion of welding residual stresses in numerical analysis by comparing the experimental and numerical results. Ultimate strength analyses are then performed for a reference ring-stiffened cylinder model under radial pressure and stringer-stiffened cylinder under axial loading. To assess the effect of shakedown, after applying cyclic compressive loading to the ring-stiffened cylinder model, the level of stress relief and the change in the ultimate strength are evaluated.     

Collapase analysis of ship hulls

This paper presents an efficient finite element procedure for the collapse analysis of ship hulls under complicated loads. A set of finite elements, such as beam-column elements, stiffened plate elements, and shear panel elements are developed, directly accounting for the geometrical and material non-linearities and initial imperfections.

Elastic-plastic stiffness matrices for elements have been derived by combining elastic large displacement analysis theories with a plastic hinge model. The buckling and post-buckling behaviour of plates is included using an effective width concept. The procedure is effective, since few mode-points are necessary and numerical integration for evaluating stiffness matrices is avoided. Fracture mechanics criteria are introduced in order to account for tension tearing rupture and brittle failure of the material.

Practical applications to ultimate longitudinal strength analysis of ship hulls and tanker collision analysis are presented. The procedure can also be used for collapse analysis of offshore and onshore structures.     

加肋锥-环-柱结合壳试验研究

加肋锥一环一柱结合壳是柱壳与锥壳连接的一种新型的、优越的结构形式,它能大幅降低锥、柱壳结合部的应力峰值,提高承压能力,结合部结构重量较现在采用的加强结构重量小,最大应力不出现在结合部焊缝上.文中展示系列模型试验结果,通过比较分析,验证加肋锥一环一柱结合壳的优越性,验证课题组提出的计算加肋轴对称结合壳应力和稳定性的"分区样条等参元方法"和"ARSASS"程序的正确性.     

基于固有应变法的环肋圆柱壳焊接残余应力数值分析

环肋圆柱壳是水下装备的主要承压部件,通常采用高强钢进行建造,对焊接残余应力等缺陷较敏感.为了得到不同肋骨布置方式下的焊接残余应力分布情况,首先采用试验和数值模拟的方法研究了高强钢焊接试板残余应力分布情况,验证了固有应变近似公式的适用性;然后,基于固有应变法针对内置、外置T型肋骨的圆柱壳的焊接残余应力进行数值分析,结果表明:两者壳板径向变形与实测资料较为一致,内置肋骨时,跨中壳板内凹,反之外凸;残余应力主要分布于焊缝部位,跨中壳板呈现压应力,内置肋骨的压应力要略大一些.     

Buckling and ultimate capability of plates and stiffened panels in axial compression

This paper presents extensive non-linear finite element (FE) analysis and formulation development work carried out on the ultimate compressive strength of plates and stiffened panels of ship structures. A review of contemporary designs for large ships was carried out. The existing formulae for plate ultimate compressive strength were reviewed and compared with non-linear FE analysis results. A semi-analytical formula for ultimate compressive strength assessments of stiffened panels was proposed and is described. The developed formula was verified against results using ABAQUS non-linear FE software for a series of 61 stiffened panels and a good agreement between the proposed formula and FE results were achieved. The method was verified against a large number of published FE results and was also compared with 58 experimental results. The developed method was also applied to the deck and bottom structures for a range of various sizes oil tankers and bulk carriers.     

Recent research on welding distortion prediction in thin plate fabrication by means of elastic FE computation

Elastic FE simulation with inherent deformation and interface element is an ideal and practical computational approach for predicting welding distortion in production of thin plate structures. In this study, recent researches on inherent deformation theory and welding induced buckling investigation of ship panel were sequentially introduced. Taking bead-on-plate welding as research objective (plate with 2.28 mm in thickness), integration approach with inherent strain was proposed to accurately and conveniently evaluate magnitude of inherent deformation. Also, average temperature to clarify the mechanism of influential effect of plate width on magnitude of inherent deformation was presented and examined. With the mechanism investigation of welding induced buckling by elastic FE analysis using inherent deformation, an application for predicting and mitigating the welding induced buckling in fabrication of ship panel with thin plates by employing different welding procedure patterns was carried out. Examined intermittent zigzag welding procedure is effective to reduce the magnitude of in-plane inherent shrinkages and control the possible welding induced buckling.     

A design equation for evaluation of strain concentration factor in concrete coated X65 pipelines

An extensive parametric study using detailed nonlinear finite element (FE) models, was conducted in order to develop a design equation for predicting Strain Concentration Factor (SCF) in field joints of X65 concrete coated pipelines under bending. Dimensions of the pipeline and coating, material properties of the coating and anti corrosion layer, as well as the loading level, were included in the design equation. Buckingham's theorem was incorporated to simplify the equation by introducing non-dimensionalized parameters. The design equation was fitted to FE data using the nonlinear least square regression, while additionally, margins of safety were defined using the confidence interval concept for practical applications. The interactive effect of parameters on SCF was studied, leading to the introduction of a single non-dimensional “coating parameter” that can accurately describe the upper limit of the SCF. This study concluded with a definition of a critical “coating parameter” which can be used to assess safe combinations of coating thickness and installation loads, thus preventing excessive strain concentration.     

穿透裂纹薄板拉伸强度影响参数的有限元分析

对穿透裂纹薄板拉伸强度的影响参数进行了有限元分析.分析结果表明,具有穿透裂纹的薄板的拉伸强度受到板的材料屈服强度、泊松比,裂纹长度、开裂角度、开裂位置,板的长宽比、厚度,边界加载条件以及有限元分析网格精度的影响.文中给出了这些因素的影响曲线以及考虑影响参数的穿透裂纹薄板拉伸强度经验计算公式.