Collapse strength of hatch cover of bulk carrier subjected to lateral pressure load

A series of elastoplastic large deflection FEM analyses has been performed on hatch covers of bulk carriers subjected to lateral load. Two types of hatch covers are considered which are the folding type and the side-sliding type. For the folding-type cover, one size is considered which is for Handy size bulk carrier, whilst for the side-sliding-type cover, two sizes are considered which are for Panamax and Cape size bulk carriers. For each type, two hatch covers are selected which are designed in accordance with the old ICLL rule and new IACS rule, respectively. Calculated collapse strengths are compared with individual design loads, and a strength assessment is performed. On the basis of collapse behaviour observed in FEM analyses, a simple method is proposed to evaluate the collapse strength of a hatch cover subjected to lateral load. It is confirmed that the collapse strength is accurately predicted by the proposed method.