Stress intensity factor measurement of cracks using piezoelectric element

A stress intensity factor (SIF) measurement method for cracks using a piezoelectric element and an electrostatic voltmeter is presented. In this method, an isotropic piezoelectric element is first attached near the tip of the crack. Then surface electrodes are attached to three different positions on the piezoelectric element. The electric potentials of the surface electrodes, which are proportional to the sum of the stress ( _x + _y ) on the structural member, are measured by an electrostatic voltmeter during load cycling. The mode I and mode II SIFs of the crack are estimated using the relationship between the SIF and ( _x + _y ). The applicability of the proposed method is examined through experiments and numerical analysis.     

Digital exchange of design models between marine equipment libraries using hybrid neutral formats

The selection of marine equipment is a time-consuming process for a ship outfitting designer. The inefficiency originates from the paper-based exchange of design information between shipyards and equipment manufacturers. We propose a method to exchange equipment models for electronic commerce. Shipyard practices were investigated to find out how the outfitting CAD library is being used. We also surveyed international standards for the exchange of digital equipment models, and analyzed the macroparametric methodology. We propose a hybrid method to represent the geometric information using STEP AP203 or the macroparametric method. The nongeometric information is defined according to the Parts Library (PLIB) standard. We implement a pilot system and test it with a ship design data set. The equipment model proposed can be used in the design process with heterogeneous shipbuilding CAD systems. The equipment model can improve the design and purchase process in shipyards.     

Evaluation of added resistance in regular incident waves by computational fluid dynamics motion simulation using an overlapping grid system

A computational fluid dynamics simulation method called WISDAM-X was developed to evaluate the added resistance of ships in waves. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation was solved by the finite-volume method and a MAC-type solution algorithm. An overlapping grid system was employed to implement rigorous wave generation, the interactions of ships with incident waves, and the resultant ship motions. The motion of the ship is simultaneously solved by combining the solution of the motion of the ship with the solution of the flow about the ship. The free surface is captured by treatment by the density-function method. The accuracy of WISDAM-X is examined by a comparison with experimental data from a container carrier hull form, and shows a fairly good agreement with respect to ship motion and added resistance. Simulations were also conducted for a bow-form series of a medium-speed tanker to examine the effectiveness of the WISDAM-X method as a design tool for a hull form with a smaller resistance in waves. It was confirmed that the WISDAM-X method can evaluate the added resistance with sufficient relative accuracy and can be used as a design tool for ships.     

PIV velocity field measurements of flow around a KRISO 3600TEU container ship model

The main purpose of this investigation was to demonstrate a useful application of the particle image velocimetry (PIV) method to analyze the complex flow characteristics around a ship. For a sample illustration, the KRISO 3600TEU container ship model was chosen. The flow structure in the stern and near-wake region of the model has been investigated experimentally in a circulating water channel. Instantaneous velocity fields measured by the PIV velocity field measurement technique have been ensemble-averaged to give details of flow structures such as the spatial distributions of the local mean velocity, vorticity, and turbulent kinetic energy. The free-stream velocity was fixed at U _o = 0.6m/s, and the corresponding Reynolds number based on the length between perpendiculars was about 9.0 × 10⁵. The container ship model shows a complicated three-dimensional flow structure in the stern and near-wake regions. The PIV results clearly revealed the formation of large-scale bilge vortices in the stern region and their effect on the flow in the near-wake. The results shown here provide valuable information for hull form design and the validation of viscous ship flow codes and of turbulence models.     

A local model for the simulation of two–dimensional spilling breaking waves

A numerical model for the simulation of two dimensional spilling breaking waves is described. It is derived from a previous model which, in turn, takes its underlying ideas from the Cointe and Tulin theory of steady breakers. With respect to the former model, the present one is local, i.e., the inception, extension, and geometry of the breakers are determined through the local shape of the water surface. The model has been implemented in a RANSE code, which was developed for the simulation of ship flows, through a modification in the boundary conditions. This yields a simple and effective way to reproduce the breakers influence on the underlying flow. The resulting code has been used to simulate the flow past a submerged hydrofoil. The numerical results are compared with those of the previous model and with the experimental data obtained by Duncan.     

Optimal synthesis of function generation in steering linkages

This paper presents an approach to optimize planar mechanisms for function generation synthesis. It is applied to the design of different steering linkages used in road vehicles where the Ackermann condition is formulated as the objective function. Four different mechanisms are kinematically defined and synthesized in terms of the proposed method. Limitations of the size of the elements are also considered by means of inequality constraints. Solutions are presented as the difference between desired behaviour, established by Ackermann, and actual generated performance. The results show that the accuracy achieved by the proposed procedure is satisfactory for working conditions in this type of linkages.     

Modelling journey‐to‐work fuel consumption: a case study of Bayridge subdivision

Fuel consumption is calculated using a modelling procedure for automobiles travelling on three alternative street patterns designed for a subdivision in Kingston Township, Ontario. The modelling procedure is described. The results indicate that grid and solar superblock street patterns, compared to the existing street pattern, offer small fuel savings to a tripmaker in the portion of the work trip travelled in the subdivision.     

Protecting Rhode Island's coastal salt ponds: An economic assessment of downzoning

Abstract

In southern Rhode Island, there is growing concern that housing and recreational demands will soon overwhelm the capacity of the coastal salt ponds to absorb wastes, produce seafood, and maintain scenic qualities. As a result, coastal towns have been studying the feasibility of using land controls such as downzoning to protect these coastal amenities. The paper presents an economic analysis of the downzoning program proposed in the town of South Kingstown. Hedonic price and contingent valuation methods are used to value coastal amenities. The estimated net present value of “swimmable” water is shown to be $3.1 million.     

Scantling multi-objective optimisation of a LNG carrier

Numerous real-world problems related to ship design can be solved by various alternatives. However, the scantling design has conflicting objectives such as minimum production cost, minimum weight and maximum moment of inertia (stiffness). Therefore a multi-purpose solution had to be settled in order to meet all these requirements at once. Ship design is a complex endeavour requiring successful coordination of many different disciplines, both technical and non-technical. Basic design is the least defined stage of the ship design process and seeks to define the optimal amidships section structure. For that purpose, recent improvements have been made to a numerical tool in order to optimise the scantling of ship sections by considering production cost, weight and moment of inertia in the optimisation objective function. A multi-criteria optimisation of a LNG carrier is conducted in this paper to illustrate the analysis process. Pareto frontiers are obtained and results have been validated by the Bureau Veritas rules. The methodology presented in this paper has demonstrated its effectiveness in optimising scantling of ships at a very early design stage thanks to a management of critical problems usually studied at a later stage of the design.