Extensive study on the design loads used for strength assessment of tanker and bulk carrier structures

ClassNK has undertaken wide-ranging basic research covering many aspects related to the safety of ship structures, including design loads, structural analysis, strength assessment of buckling, collapse, and fatigue, and rational corrosion margins to develop new design standards which have transparency and consistency. Among the wide-ranging basic research, this article summarizes the results of extensive work on the design loads used for strength assessments of tanker and bulk carrier structures. The main aim of the research was to develop practical estimation methods of design loads with rational technical backgrounds relating to the actual loads acting on the primary structural members of tankers and bulk carriers. During this study, we proposed the following methodology. Design sea states that closely resemble the actual sea states which are considered to be the most severe for hull structures. Find practical estimation methods for the design sea states by parametric studies using the results of series calculations on representative tankers and bulk carriers. Find practical estimation methods for design regular waves which will result in the same level of stresses as those induced in irregular waves under the design sea states. We also briefly introduced some practical estimation methods for the design loads, such as ship motions, accelerations, hull-girder bending moments, and hydrodynamic pressures that are induced under design regular waves. The findings in this study have been summarized and implemented in the new design standards for tanker and bulk carrier structures.Updated from the Japanese original which won the 2003 SNAJ prize (J Soc Nav Archit Jpn 2002; 191:195–207; 2002; 191:208–220; and 2002; 192:723–733)     

A pseudofield model approach to simulate compartment-fire phenomena for marine fire safety design

In order to prevent the spread of marine compartment fires, it is necessary to understand the governing factors or characteristics of fire-spread phenomena. We present a pseudofield model approach to this problem. We first described a field model of turbulent heat convection based on a standard k – turbulence model. Two-dimensional numerical simulations of a two-linked compartment fire were carried out in order to predict the turbulent convection flow induced by the heat released from the fire. Then a more complicated fire-spread problem of multilinked compartment fires was analyzed by means of a zone model, in which the amounts of oxygen consumption and gas generation were solved by a gas-balance equations system. The effect of threshold conditions on fire propagation and the effect of the thickness of the heat insulation were investigated with numerical simulations.     

At-sea towing of a Mega-Float unit

A huge floating offshore platform (359m long, 60m wide, and 3m deep) was towed into the Pacific Ocean for a validation experiment for a floating airport. Full-scale measurements of towline tension and the bending strain on the upper-deck were made during towing. The measured bending moment agreed well with numerical calculation without taking the draught and towing speed into consideration.     

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.     

Safety culture on board six Swedish passenger ships

This paper presents the results of a Swedish study on maritime safety culture. The study aims to increase knowledge about the characteristics of safety culture in the maritime setting and about the relationship between safety culture and organizational climate. Such knowledge can be vital in the process of developing and improving safety culture. The paper reports the results of safety culture assessments on board six Swedish passenger ships in international traffic, using observations, questionnaires, and interviews focussing on 508 employees who completed the questionnaires. The results of the assessments revealed a generally good existing safety culture. Differences in individuals' safety culture perceptions were found between ships, vessel type (high-speed craft versus Ropax), and hierarchical working position. Important relationships between organizational climate and safety culture were also found. A comparison with other transport sectors where the same safety culture assessment had been applied yielded that passenger shipping has an average safety culture score level that falls between air traffic control and airport ground handling. The method of assessment, which can be used by shipping companies and vessel crews, identified specific areas of concern in the safety culture that could support continuous improvements of safety and safety culture.