Modelling of the internal mechanics in ship collisions

A method for analysis of the structural damage due to ship collisions is developed. The method is based on the idealized structural unit method (ISUM). Longitudinal/transverse webs which connect the outer and the inner hulls are modelled by rectangular plate units. The responses are determined by taking into account yielding, crushing, and rupture. Some plates of the outer and the inner shell subjected to large membrane tensions are modelled by membrane tension triangular/rectangular plate units, while the remaining shell panels are modelled by the usual plate units. The effect of stiffeners on the stiffness and the strength is considered as well. In order to include the coupling effects between local and global failure of the structure, the usual non-linear finite-element technique is applied. In order to deal with the gap and contact conditions between the striking and the struck ships, gap/contact elements are employed. Dynamic effects are considered by inclusion of the influence of strain-rate sensitivity in the material model. On the basis of the theory a computer program has been written. The procedure is verified by a comparison of experimental results obtained from test models of double-skin plated structures in collision/grounding situations with the present solutions. As an illustrative example the procedure has been used for analyses of a side collision of a double-hull tanker. Several factors affecting ship collision response, namely the collision speed and the scantlings/ arrangements of strength members, are discussed.     

An economic device for protecting bridge piers against ship collisions

Ship collisions against bridge piers have caused considerable damage (loss of human lives and partial structural destruction) in some instances. The present technical note discusses, in preliminary form, some of the advantages of a device developed at the Institute of Applied Mechanics. It is hoped that this short report will stimulate discussion, analysis and further development of the current investigations, and contribute to improving the defence of a bridge pier located in a seaway.     

Dynamics of steel offshore platforms under ship impact

This paper deals with the prediction of the dynamic response of steel offshore platforms to high energy impacts from typical supply vessels. The contribution of the high modes of a cantilever beam type structure with a concentrated top mass subjected to transverse impact from rigid and deformable strikers is analysed. A procedure to develop simplified equivalent systems for efficient structural response analysis is presented and its reliability tested by comparing the results from the explicit non-linear FE simulations. Effects such as the overall rotation of the installation, plastic deformations in the contact area, different impact locations and different hinge mechanisms are taken into account. It is shown that the use of the proposed equivalent systems with a reduced number of DOF's can provide accurate results at significantly less computational efforts as compared to the FE simulations. The derivation of some parameters of the equivalent dynamic elastic–plastic SDOF/2SDOF systems, however, needs to consider the complexity of the analysed steel frames and perform preliminary non-linear static analyses. Therefore, further studies of different impact scenarios on platforms with different configurations are recommended to augment the results presented here.     

非通航孔桥墩自适应拦截网防撞装置实船拦截试验与水动力计算

针对非通航孔桥墩,研发了一种自适应拦截网防船舶撞击装置,主要由系泊大浮体、系泊锚链和固定锚、自适应小浮筒、拦截网、恒阻力缆绳以及触发钢索所组成。阐述了该防撞装置设计原理,即偏航船舶撞击该防撞装置,小浮筒会带动拦截网自适应地从水平状态竖起展开,包裹住来撞船首,再通过相连浮体的运动阻力和恒阻力缆绳来吸收船舶动能,拦截住船舶,保护非通航孔桥墩安全。随后介绍在福建平潭海峡大桥引桥附近海域实施的实船撞击自适应拦截网防撞装置的大型试验,试验结果显示:自适应拦截网成功升起,船舶被安全拦截,从而实验证实了设计原理与设计方案的可行性和可靠性。最后,采用大型水动力分析软件AQWA对防撞装置拦截船舶过程进行数值模拟,模拟结果与实验结果基本一致,说明了数值仿真具有较好的计算精度和可靠性,能够为该防撞装置的结构设计与优化提供重要的参考。     

Investigation of ship hydroelasticity

The importance of hydroelastic analysis of large and flexible container ships of today is pointed out. A methodology for investigation of this challenging phenomenon is drawn up and a mathematical model is worked out. It includes definition of ship geometry, mass distribution, structure stiffness, and combines ship hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, wave load, ship motion and vibrations. Based on the presented theory, a computer program is developed and applied for hydroelastic analysis of a flexible segmented barge for which model test results of motion and distortion in waves have been available. A correlation analysis of numerical simulation and measured response shows quite good agreement of the transfer functions for heave, pitch, roll, vertical and horizontal bending and torsion. The tool checked in such a way can be further used for reliable hydroelastic analysis of ship-like structures.     

Modification of ship hydrodynamic interaction forces and moment by underwater ship geometry

The hydrodynamic interaction forces/moments acting on a moored ship due to the passage of another ship in its proximity is researched by considering the influence of ship form against the idealized approach of the use of parabolic sectional area distribution. Comparisons with experimental results show that the interaction effects are predicted better by inclusion of ship's form.     

Numerical analysis on ship maneuvering coupled with ship motion in waves

This paper considers a numerical analysis of ship maneuvering performance in the presence of incident waves and resultant ship motion responses. To this end, a time-domain ship motion program is developed to solve the wave–body interaction problem with the ship slip speed and rotation, and it is coupled with a modular-type 4-DOF maneuvering problem. In this coupled problem, the second-order mean drift force, which can play an important role in the ship maneuvering trajectory, is estimated by using a direct pressure integration method. The developed method is validated by observing the second-order mean drift force, and planar trajectories in maneuvering tests with and without the presence of incident waves. The comparisons are made for two ship models, Series 60 with block coefficient 0.7 and the S-175 containership, with existing experimental data. The maneuvering tests observed in this study include a zig-zag test in calm water, and turning tests in calm water and in regular waves. The present results show a fair agreement of overall tendency in maneuvering trajectories.     

Analysis of ship life cycles—The impact of economic cycles and ship inspections

Due to the shipping industry's international legal framework, there are loopholes in the system, which can increase the risk of incidents with high economic costs due to the substandard operation of vessels. This article uses duration analysis and through the creation of ship life cycles provides insight into the effectiveness of inspections on prolonging ship lives. The analysis accounts for fluctuations in the relevant economic environment and the (possibly time-varying) ship particulars. It is based on a unique dataset containing information on the timing of accidents, inspections and ship particular changes of more than 50,000 vessels over a 29-year time period (1978–2007). The results reveal that the shipping industry is a relatively safe industry but there is a possible over-inspection of vessels. The effect of inspections varies across ship types and the prevention of incidents with high economic costs can be improved by a coordinated approach of all types of inspections that are performed which allows the decrease of unnecessary inspections. Further, more emphasis should be placed on the rectification and follow-up of deficiencies and the implementation of the ISM code. Another added benefit for the industry would be to improve transparency related to class withdrawals and class transfers for all classification societies. Another interesting finding is that for the majority of ship types, an increase in earnings decreases the incident rate. This is in contrast to the industry perception of the impact of earnings.     

Hydrodynamic optimization of ship hull forms

An extremely simple CFD tool is used to compare the calm-water drags of a series of hull forms and to define ‘optimized’ monohull ships for which the total (friction+wave) calm-water drag is minimized. The friction drag is estimated using the classical ITTC formula. The wave drag is predicted using the zeroth-order slender-ship approximation. Comparisons of theoretical predictions and experimental measurements for a series of eight hull forms show that—despite the extreme simplicity of the method that is used here to estimate the friction drag and the wave drag—the method is able to rank the drags of a series of hull forms roughly in accordance with experimental measurements. Thus, the method may be used, with appropriate caution, as a practical hull form design and optimization tool. For purposes of illustration, optimized hull forms that have the same displacement and waterplane transverse moment of inertia as the classical Wigley hull, taken as initial hull in the optimization process, are determined for three speeds and for a speed range.     

On the development of ship anti-roll tanks

This paper reviews the development of ship anti-roll tanks from the 1880s to the present day including their modelling and control strategies. Mention is also made of other ship roll stabilization systems and the application of the technology to stabilization of other structures. The potential for the use of roll stabilization tanks on modern, high speed multi-hull craft which also have a low speed operational requirement is also discussed.     

Estimation of ship motions using closed-form expressions

A semi-analytical approach is used to derive frequency response functions for the wave-induced motions for monohull ships. The results are given as closed-form expressions and the required input information for the procedure is restricted to the main dimensions: length, breadth, draught, block coefficient and water plane area together with speed and heading. The formulas make it simple to obtain quick estimates of the wave-induced motions and accelerations in the conceptual design phase and to perform a sensitivity study of the variation with main dimensions and operational profile.     

码头系泊船舶模型试验

通过对一艘50kDWG码头系泊船舶的模型试验，得出了系泊缆绳张力随外载荷变化的一般规律，对码头系泊有一定的参考价值。     

A time-domain prediction method of ship motions

A time-domain analysis is used to predict wave loading and motion responses for a ship traveling at a constant speed in regular oblique waves. Considered as a distribution of normal velocities on the wetted hull surface, the combined diffraction and radiation perturbations caused by the forward moving ship and her motions are determined simultaneously. This way, the ship-hull boundary condition is exactly fulfilled. The 3-D time domain Green's function is used to express the combined diffraction/radiation potential in terms of impulsive and memory potentials. Application of the Bernoulli equation yields the pressure distribution and accordingly, the necessary hydrodynamic forces. The equations of motion of the ship are then developed and solved in the time domain.Forces and motions at forward speed are predicted for a Wigley ship-hull in head waves and for a catamaran-ferry in oblique waves. Comparison is made with published theoretical and experimental results for the Wigley ship-hull, and the agreement is good. For the catamaran, a self-propelled model is built and tested both in a large towing tank and in a seakeeping basin in order to measure the six-degrees-of-freedom forces, moments and motions at forward speed in regular waves of different directions. For the longitudinal motions, the agreement between measurements and predictions is generally good. For the transverse motions, however, acceptable discrepancy exists. The discrepancy is thought to be mainly due to the exclusion from the analysis of the rudder forces and viscous damping. The inclusion of such nonlinear effects in the time domain simulation involves complex analysis and this problem is left to a future research.     

Bistatic radar cross section of ship targets

Data describing simultaneous bistatic (BRCS) and monostatic (MRCS) radar cross sections of freighters atXband near grazing incidence are presented. Details of the measurement system, calibration procedures, and target-radar geometry are discussed. Measured values of BRCS were typically less than the MRCS and decreased with increasing bistatic angle.     

Econometric analysis of the ship demolition market

The topic of ship recycling has obtained considerable attention during the last two decades for a variety of reasons with the likelihood of the adoption of a new international convention under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This study applies econometric modeling to a unique data set to provide insight into the dynamics of the ship recycling market. The data set contains information on 51,112 ships over 100 gt and includes 748,621 events over a period of 29 years. The analysis confirms a negative relationship of earnings and a positive relationship of scrap prices for all locations while Bangladesh seems to be more sensitive to changes in earnings than the other locations and more likely demolishes larger and older vessels. The results for flag and ownership vary across scrapping locations with Malta and Cyprus indicating potential importance from a registry perspective. The overall safety profile of a vessel seems to be less important towards the probability of a ship being scrapped. Possible implementation of the convention at EU level will mostly likely affect Turkey while non-ratification of one of the major flags will most likely affect China or Bangladesh.     

Ultimate strength of ship hulls under torsion

For a ship hull with large deck openings such as container vessels and some large bulk carriers, the analysis of warping stresses and hatch opening deformations is an essential part of ship structural analyses. It is thus of importance to better understand the ultimate torsional strength characteristics of ships with large hatch openings. The primary aim of the present study is to investigate the ultimate strength characteristics of ship hulls with large hatch openings under torsion. Axial (warping) as well as shear stresses are normally developed for thin-walled beams with open cross sections subjected to torsion. A procedure for calculating these stresses is briefly described. As an illustrative example, the distribution and magnitude of warping and shear stresses for a typical container vessel hull cross section under unit torsion is calculated by the procedure. By theoretical and numerical analyses, it is shown that the influence of torsion induced warping stresses on the ultimate hull girder bending strength is small for ductile hull materials while torsion induced shear stresses will of course reduce the ship hull ultimate bending moment.     

Validation of ship manoeuvring models using metamodels

This paper describes how simplified auxiliary models—metamodels—can be used to create benchmarks for validating ship manoeuvring simulation models. A metamodel represents ship performance for a limited range of parameters, such as rudder angles and surge velocity. In contrast to traditional system identification methods, metamodels are identified from multiple trial recordings, each containing data on the ship’s inherent dynamics (similar for all trials) and random disturbances such as environmental effects and slightly different loading conditions. Thus, metamodels can be used to obtain these essential data, where simple averaging is not possible. In addition, metamodels are used to represent a ship’s behaviour and not to obtain physical insights into ship dynamics. The experimental trials used for the identification of metamodels can be found in in-service recorded data. After the metamodel is identified, it is used to simulate trials without substantial deviations from the ship state parameters used for the identification. Subsequently, the predictions of the metamodels are compared with the predictions of a tested manoeuvring simulation model. We present two case studies to demonstrate the application of metamodels for moderate turning motions of two ships.