THE SANDWICH PLATE SYSTEM (SPS)

Author: Denis Welch

Director, SPS Overlay
Intelligent Engineering (UK) Ltd
UK
welch@ie-sps.com
SYNOPSIS

SPS is the first new materials-based construction technology in maritime and civil engineering
since the introduction of iron and steel 150 years ago. Over ten years of research and development
have been invested in the technology for these conservative markets, to the satisfaction of the key
players: owners, operators, manufacturers and classification societies.

The composite structure, of metal faceplates separated and continuously supported by the
elastomer core, gives SPS the required strength and stiffness without the need for secondary
stiffening. These inherent material properties of SPS give rise to significant benefits in fabrication,
performance, safety and economics.

In addition, SPS plates behave globally as a diaphragm, eliminating the conventional problem of
‘local buckling’. This characteristic allows optimisation of engineering designs and dramatic
simplification of structures, eliminating fatigue and corrosion prone details, resulting in better
performance and extended service life.

The combination of the inherent properties of the two materials provides a wide variety of other
benefits. These include superior impact performance, reduced weight and through-thickness and
built-in damping of vibration and structure borne noise. SPS is approved as providing a 60-minute
fire barrier and is additionally a very effective blast barrier.

SPS Overlay is the ship repair application of the SPS technology used as an alternative to crop-
and-replace. The existing corroded or worn plating forms one side of a steel composite panel with
a new top plate and an elastomer core. The resulting composite fully restores and enhances the
strength of the original structure and provides a surface that is permanently flat. The process is
extremely quick and uses a fraction of man-hours required for a conventional crop-and-replace
repair.
This paper will trace the development of the technology and discuss a range of repair applications
carried out using SPS Overlay.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. INTRODUCTION

The theme of this year’s conference is “New Environment, New Technology,

New Capability”. Lloyd’s Register says of SPS “[The] revolutionary Sandwich
Plate System is superior in every practical way to conventional, stiffened steel
plate. SPS is a new generation building material bringing shipbuilding and civil
engineering industries to the threshold of a new era…” I hope therefore that this
paper will align with the objectives of the conference in discussing the new
opportunities that SPS offers in the design, construction and maintenance of naval
vessels.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 Shipbuilding

One hundred and fifty years ago ships were built from wood before iron and
subsequently steel became the norm. The other main metallic material used is
aluminium because of its lighter weight when compared with steel. To achieve
the strength to resist loads, the “panel-stiffened” concept was adopted which
involved more elaborate production process [4], [5]. Non-metallic materials are
also now in common use and these include fibreglass and generic glass re-
enforced plastics.

Assembling methods have evolved from the original woodwork skills of

shipwrights to riveting plates together and now a wide range of cutting and
thermal welding techniques from oxyacetylene to plasma are in common use.

Sandwich plate ship structures integrate SPS plates with steel primary structure
enabling Naval Architects to design lightweight, greatly simplified, higher
performance ships. SPS plates comprising two metal plates bonded to a
continuous elastomer core, form a much stiffer and stronger system than a single
stiffened metal plate, preclude local buckling, and eliminate the need for closely
spaced discrete stiffeners (Figure 1). In flexure, the plates act as flanges and the
core as the web. The thicknesses of the sandwich elements and metals used for
the face plates can be tailored to meet particular structural and performance
requirements. (A designation xx-yy-zz (e.g. 5-30-5) is used to denote the
thicknesses of the three sandwich components, steel-elastomer-steel, in

SPS Structure

Conventional
Structure

millimetres.)

Figure 1 – SPS Newbuild Panels vs. Conventional Stiffened Steel Plate

2.2 Ship Repair

Whilst there have been advances in materials and methods in shipbuilding, the
ship repair technique for addressing damaged or corroded structure remains that
of cropping out the old steelwork and replacing it with new, which is inevitably a
time and labour consuming process that is inherently dangerous and results in
structures with various degrees of locked-in stress concentrations that compromise
structure integrity.

SPS Overlay is the ship repair application of SPS technology. It repairs severely
corroded or worn structural steelwork by incorporating existing plating in a thin
composite formed by a new top plate and an elastomer core which is injected in-
 situ. The technology can be applied to any surface, vertical as well as horizontal,
(e.g. bulkheads as well as decks and tank tops) and the thicknesses of the core and
the new top plate can be designed to reinstate to the original designed strength, or
to significantly increase the load bearing capacity of the structure – without
additional stiffening.

New Top Plate Elastomer Perimeter Bar

Existing deck plate

Figure 2 – Section Through and Overlay Deck

3. SANDWICH PLATES

Lloyd’s Register describes SPS as “revolutionary”. Certainly the technology

offers those responsible for the design and construction and maintenance of ships
a new set of options, which, after more than ten years of research and
development with Intelligent Engineering’s industrial partners BASF, is now an
established product in the marine industry. SPS has been endorsed by
Classification Societies and embraced by a growing number of licensees;
Singapore based Keppel Shipyards being an early adopter.

SPS construction has a number of benefits over conventional steel construction,

including simplified structure from the elimination of secondary stiffeners,
reduced weight, increased fatigue resistance and reduced susceptibility to
corrosion, leading to less maintenance and easier inspection. SPS also has a
number of other benefits, which offer unique advantages in Naval construction,
such as built-in fire protection; enhanced resistance to puncture, impact, blast and
ballistic rounds. SPS construction also dampens structural-borne noise and
vibration and can feature different faceplate materials e.g. aluminium, stainless
steel and mild steel combinations.

All of the above contribute to performance optimisation reductions in production

costs and to a longer and safer service life.

SPS was initially developed to provide impact resistant plating for offshore
structures in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Research and development over the last
ten years has focused on material characterisation, structural behaviour and
performance. This covers design principles, fire resistance and engineering,
energy absorption design philosophies and the development of connection details
specific to sandwich plate structures. A growing portfolio of marine and civil
projects has stimulated the development of applications for both new construction
and repair of existing structures.

SPS has approvals from the major ship classification societies and regulatory
authorities for use in newbuilds and the ship repair, with 80,000m² of decks, tank
tops, bulkheads and other structures having already benefited from the application
of the technology since the first commercial project in November 1999 .

A summary of the technology development undertaken to date is given in

Appendix A.
4. BENEFITS IN NAVAL SHIP CONSTRUCTION

From the point of view of hull design, the ideal ship:

 Has a hull form that optimises its role in carrying cargo or as an operational
platform

 Is economic to build

 Is safe and efficient to operate

 Requires minimal maintenance

 Retains its value

SPS goes some way to addressing these challenges and ship operators are keen to
take advantage of the benefits in structural simplicity, reduced maintenance and
improved lifetime performance. IE’s approach to the newbuilding opportunities is
to work closely with our industry partners and to introduce the technology
gradually through several no-risk applications. The SPS based design of a
chemical carrier for use on the Rhine River has been approved by Germanischer
Lloyd and by ZKR, the multi-national body that regulates traffic on the river
(Figure 3). Production engineering work is underway at Krupp Stahlbau in
Hannover and construction will take plate late 2007. The experience will move
Intelligent Engineering further up the learning curve towards building a full ocean
going vessel, which is already the subject of intense interest from owners and ship
builders.

In 2003 Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft (FSG) commenced the fitting of SPS

panels in the funnel casings of a series of six new RoRo vessels for DFDS
TorLine (Figure 4). The casings could be made much thinner using SPS plates
because of the elimination of secondary stiffening and fire insulation. Exhaust gas
uptakes and generators could still be accommodated with A60 fire protection
built-in to the SPS plates. As a result, the space saved enabled additional traffic
lanes to be incorporated into the design. Assembly of the unstiffened involved
straight forward plate to plate butt welds with of course no stiffener connections
to align and connect.

Figure 3 –Midship Section of Rhine Figure 4- Newbuild RoRo Ferry Funnel

 Chemical Carrier Casings

The immediate advantages of SPS over conventional stiffened steel plates are as
follows:

 Simplifying fabrication: In SPS fabrication, there are fewer parts, fewer

intersections, less welding, and a reduced surface area. A study has shown that
almost 9km of stiffeners and some 3000 connections can be eliminated in the
construction of a 10,000DWT product Oil Tanker by substituting conventional
panels with SPS plates.

 More efficient operations: the permanently flat and impact resistant surface
provided by SPS can aid cargo loading/unloading efficiencies.

 Better design features: The SPS design removes the principal sources of
stress concentrations and reduces the effects of crack initiations and fatigue,
which directly impacts the future cost of maintenance and through-life
ownership.

 Improved production engineering: SPS plates are extremely flat and

dimensionally accurate which together with the elimination of brackets and
stiffener connections makes the assembly process less skill dependant in
assembly and more easily inspected for quality assurance.

 Weight: For newbuilds, the weight of an SPS arrangement is less than that of
a conventional structural arrangement.

 Cost: The overall SPS arrangement has lower build and operational costs than
the equivalent conventional stiffened plate arrangement for reasons mentioned
previously.

Features that are of specific interest to Naval ship designers in comparison with
traditional materials are likely to be; performance in respect of fatigue and
corrosion resistance and weight reduction and survivability; arising from the
material’s ability both to withstand extreme load events such as grounding and
blast resistance and also to resist ballistic puncture from bullets or shrapnel. This
in addition to built-in fire protection and vibration dampening.

Performance

 Fatigue and corrosion

 Weight reduction

 Vibration dampening

Survivability

 Extreme loads
 Blast / ballistic

 Fire proofing
 4.1 Impact Resistance

Composite structures such as SPS are extremely efficient in their ability to absorb
extreme operational and accidental loads by dissipating the strain fields over a
large area and by avoiding the hard spots associated with the panel stiffening in
conventional panel construction. Intelligent Engineering has demonstrated the
vastly superior capabilities of SPS construction through a number of impact tests
carried out at the BASF laboratories at Ludwigshaven in Germany. Grounding
conditions have been simulated using large-scale sections representing a
40,000Dwt product oil tanker and a Juniper class icebreaker that were acted on by
4 x 500tonne capacity actuators. Applied loads, strains and displacements were
continuously measured during the test and a close correlation established between
the predicted failure conditions for both the conventional structure and the SPS
equivalent which demonstrated a significant improvement in energy absorbsion
and maintenance of structural integrity.

Reaction Blocks

SPS Test
Specimen

Impactor
(a) Test specimen and reaction blocks (b) 100-mm diameter hemispherical impactor

2083 kg

(c) pendulum apparatus and 2083 kg mass (d) corner impactor - close up
Figure 5 - Impact Specimen and Test Set-up
(The tests involved impact loads being applied to specimens via 100mm hemispherical or a diamond shaped impactor mounted on a pendulum
that had a mass of 2083kg and an effective velocity of 20km/hr)

In addition to controlled laboratory tests, Intelligent Engineering has conducted a

practical demonstration of the suitability of the material for use in deck
construction for rock carrying vessels. In this case the customer repeatedly
dropped rocks weighing up to 2100kg onto a 3m x 3.5m test sample that
simulated a corroded deck reinstated by SPS Overlay (Figure 6). The deck
absorbed the severe test without debonding and with relatively little damage to the
impacted surface. The tests resulted in an order being placed for the reinstatement
of corroded deck plating on a rock carrying vessel which has since carried over
one million tonnes of quartz rock with only minimal evidence of wear and tear to
the deck surface.
4.2 Blast

Tests carried out by the US Navy at the Naval Warfare Surface Centre have
demonstrated the ability of SPS plates to out-perform the equivalent steel
structure. Intelligent Engineering’s specification was to provide an SPS plate no
heavier than a ½" DH36 steel plate.

Although details of the test conditions are confidential, the resulting photograph
comparing the ½" plate with the SPS 5-30-5 equivalent speaks for itself
(Figure 7).

Figure 7 –Blast Test Comparison

Figure 6 – Rock Drop Test SPS 5-30-5 vs ½" DH36 steel plate
(50" diameter) - NWSC Carderock

4.3 Ballistic Protection

Intelligent Engineering has commissioned a series of ballistic tests that were

conducted in the UK by QinetiQ (formerly the Defence Evaluation and Research
Association - DERA). These involved firing standard NATO 7.62mm rounds at
SPS and equivalent stiffened steel plates from different range and angle. These
demonstrated that SPS stops projectiles at shorter strike ranges (higher velocities)

450

400

above line = Win

350

below line = Defeat

300

250

range, mild steel SPS

200
steel plate
metres
150

100

bi-metal SPS
50

90 75 60 45 30 15

0
angle,
with 75% less chance of structure penetration (Figure 8).
Figure 8 – Ballistics Tests Comparison
 4.4 Fire Resistance

SPS has exceptional resistance to fire and can eliminate the need for the
installation of thermal insulation. It is an extremely effective barrier to heat,
flame, smoke and toxic gases. It will contain a fire and prevent it spreading to
adjacent compartments, greatly limiting the growth of a fire throughout a
structure. The elastomer core has excellent insulation properties. Full-scale deck
panel and bulkhead tests conducted in laboratories under International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) A60 specified conditions have shown that the temperature
increase at the unexposed surface of SPS was +5 C with insulation (Figure 9) and
+38 C without insulation. The comparable temperature changes for steel
stiffened plate are +192C and +710 C respectively.

Figure 9 – SPS Plate after Fire Test Remains Cool and Retains Strength

4.5 Noise and Vibration Attenuation

An80attractive feature of elastomer is its damping property and its presence in SPS
8

has70enhanced its damping response. Vibration and impact tests carried out at the
6
Steel
Intersonar
60 Laboratories in Holland have shown the response amplitude function
4

for SPS is much less Steel

than steel, with the damping coefficient of being 4 to 5 times
Transfer Func tion

50
2
Displacement, mm

greater
40 than steel (Figure 10). The effect of these SPS damping characteristics is
0

that30 there would be less vibration on the deck of a ship constructed from SPS or
-2
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

repaired
20
using theSPSSPS concept. In addition, slamming loads would be less likely
-4
10
to be transmitted thereby allowing high speed craft to maintain their speed in
-6
SPS

0
higher 20
sea states. 25
-8 30

Frequency,
Time, ms Hz
 Figure 10 – Graphs Showing Noise Vibration Attenuation

5. SPS OVERLAY (Ship Repair)

SPS Overlay is the repair application of SPS and works by incorporating the
plating of the existing structure into a composite formed by a new top plate and an
elastomer core that is injected in-situ.

The first application of SPS Overlay was the reinstatement of an area of deck on
the 1975 built P&O RoRo Ferry Pride of Cherbourg in November 1999. Since
that date, Intelligent Engineering has undertaken 78 Overlay projects in 45
shipyards worldwide, 11 in Singapore alone. Applications have ranged from
RoRo’s to Bulk Carriers to Offshore Oil and Gas Rigs.

5.1 Conventional Repair (Crop and Replace)

One of the most disruptive and risk laden activities in a repair or conversion
project is structural modifications using crop and replace methods. This requires
the original structure to be taken out and replaced by new plating. The main
steps, as applied to the repair to a deck of a ship, are illustrated in Figure 11.

 Piped and electrical services and insulation in the vicinity of the repair are
disconnected and removed.

 The existing plates are removed from the stiffeners in small sections by
oxyacetylene cutting.

 The new plates are installed and welded to the existing stiffening.

 Insulation, pipe racks and cable trays are re-installed and service runs re-
connected and tested.

Regardless of the circumstances, this is a disruptive, time consuming, uncertain,

and inherently dangerous operation.

Disruptive: because it obviates parallel working in the area and can leave sections
of the ship exposed to the elements.

Time consuming: because traditional crop and replace methods require

plating to be removed and replaced in small sections in consideration of lifting
capabilities and because the adjacent structure may not be capable of absorbing
the transferred static loads.

Uncertain: because attached insulation, piped and electrical services and

decorative finishes must all be removed and replaced with the risk of damage and
unforeseen reinstatement problems.
 Dangerous: because the demolition and removal process necessitates extensive
oxyacetylene cutting, and the creation of temporary access openings that represent
fire and injury hazards.

1 Existing deck 4 Fit new plate

2 Remove insulation and services 5 Weld stiffeners to plating

3 Cut plating from stiffeners

6 Replace insulation and services
Figure 11 – Conventional ‘Crop and Replace’
5.2 SPS Overlay

SPS Overlay overcomes the operational difficulties of conventional repair

techniques by retaining the existing structure. As a consequence, an SPS Overlay
repair is extremely fast, safe, non-disruptive, and from a scheduling perspective,
predictable. Although deck reinstatement is taken to illustrate the process, SPS
Overlay is applicable to any flat surface whether it is horizontal or vertical. The
technology can be used to reinstate the structure to its original load bearing
capability or to accommodate heavier loading conditions. Intelligent Engineering
has also developed non-welded solutions using advanced adhesives to create the
steel cavities in circumstances where hot work is a problem.

An example of this is the reinstatement of the bottom shell plating on the FPSO
Independence operated by Conoco-Phillips, which Intelligent Engineering
undertook in-situ off the coast of West Africa whilst the vessel continued
operations. Traditional repair would have required expensive and disruptive
underwater work. Low heat or no-heat solutions have since been applied in the
SPS Overlay repair of an LNG Carrier adjacent to the cryogenic insulation
membrane and in voyage repairs to plating above engine room oil tanks on a
cruise ship.

The Process

The customer provides Intelligent Engineering with the relevant drawings and
thickness measurement results for the area to be reinstated. IE’s designers use
direct calculation and FE modelling to determine the required thickness of the
elastomer core and new top plate necessary to return the structure to its original
strength, or better. This means that plating that has corroded below conventional
diminution limits can be considered in the SPS Overlay Solution.

Drawings are prepared showing the layout of the cavities and steelwork details for
the specific applications and a design is submitted for approval by the relevant
Classification Society. The drawings form part of a comprehensive specification
for the SPS Overlay project, which defines the steelwork requirements that are
usually carried out by a repair yard chosen by the customer in competitive tender.
Alternatively, IE can provide a turnkey package to include the steelwork. The ship
does not need to be docked for an SPS Overlay application and, since the existing
structure remains intact, there is no danger of misalignment, which is present
when large sections of steel work are removed in conventional repair.

Design details have now been developed for a wide range of SPS Overlay
configurations, which are familiar to Class and help minimise the design and
approval lead-time (Figure 13). NOTES
EXISTING
CURB
SPS TOP 1. ALL DIMENSIONS IN mm AND TO BE
PLA TE PE RIMETER PERIMETER SPS TOP CONFIRMED AT SHIP PRIOR TO
BAR BAR PLATE
PERIMETER WORK COMENCING.
SPS TOP BAR 3
PL ATE 60° 2. STEEL - CLASS GRADE A
SPS TO P OR EQUIVALENT.
PLATE
3. ALL STEEL ON INTERIOR OF SURFACES
ELASTOMER
DRAIN OF SPS CAVITIES ARE TO BE GRIT
ELASTOMER EXISTING SUM P BLASTED TO A SURFACE ROUGHNESS
EXISTING
DEC K STRUCTURE
EXISTING OF 60+MICRONS, AND BE CLEAN, FREE OF
EXISTING S TR UCTUR E PERIMETER EXISTING ELASTOMER
PIPE PENETR ATION BAR RAMP GRIT, GREASE AND WATER.
4. SPS CAVITY MUST BE AIR TIGHT.
5. THERE SHALL BE NO SUBSTITUTIONS OF
MATERIALS WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN
APPROVAL OF INTELLIGENT ENGINEERING.
6. STEEL SPACERS 50mm DIA WITH THK
EQUAL TO THE ELASTOMER CORE, TO
BE TACK WELDED TO EXISTING DK
PLATING BETWEEN PERIMETER BARS AND
ELASTOMER
SPS TOP DIRECTLY ABOVE TRANSVERSE OR LONGL
PLATE
SPS TOP 3 STIFFENERS, AT INTERVALS OF
PLATE 60° APPROXIMATELY 750mm IN ANY DIRECTION.
7. WELDING TO CLASS STANDARDS.
8. ALL WELDING TO BE COMPLETE PRIOR
EXISTIN G TO ELASTOMER INJECTION.
RAMP

EXISTIN G
RECTAN GUL AR STRU CTU RE
PERIMETER BAR

Proprietary and Confidential

Copyright Intelligent Engineering 2002

SP S TOP
PLATE PE RIMETER
BA R

ELAS TOM ER

EXISTING
STRUCTURE

EXISTING FRAME BKT TRIMMED BACK

AND WELDED TO PERIMETER BAR

PERIMETER
BAR SPS TOP
60° PLATE S PS TOP 12mm CHAMFER REV. No.: DATE: MOD: DRN: CHK:
10mm CHAMFER PLATE 3 DRAWN BY: DATE: DRAWING No.:
45° CR-02-10-003
CJO MAY 2002
TACK CHECKED: DATE: SHEET OF
WELD 50 SPS TOP JB
DIA PLATE MAY 2002 1 1
SPS TOP SCALE: SHEET SIZE:
ELASTO MER EXISTING PERIMETER PLATE
DECK BAR ELASTOMER NTS A3
EDGE PREPARA TION
EXISTING DEP TH AS REQUIRE D TO PROJECT:
TRANSV GIV E A 3MM ROOT DEPTH
RO-RO SPS OVERLAY
EXISTING ELASTOMER TITLE:
DECK CORE THK
ELASTOMER SPS CAR/TRUCK FERRY DECK
EXISTING FILE NAME:
EXISTING STIFFR
STRUCTURE
Inte llig ent Eng inee ring (Cana da) Limited
72 Ch amberla in Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
Ca nada
Tel: + 1-613-5 69-311 1
Fax: +1-6 13-569 -3222
 Figure 12 – Finite Element Analysis Figure 13 – Standard Details

SPS Overlay is carried out by grit blasting the existing plating then welding (or in
some cases where hot work is to be avoided, gluing) steel perimeter bars to the
plating to form a grid onto which a new top plate is welded to form a an airtight
cavity into which IE’s engineers inject the two chemicals that react exothermally
to form the elastomer core.

A typical panel of 20m² is filled in eight minutes and sets in fifteen minutes. The
core is fully cured in about 3 hours. The stages of an SPS Overlay Process are
illustrated in Figure 14.

a. The existing structure is retained. The example shown is the tank top of a bulk
carrier before reinstatement by SPS Overlay. The combined effects of grab
damage and the hydraulic effect of loading powdered cargoes had deflected
the existing plating by up to 65mm severely impacting unloading efficiencies.
Operational comparison of the subsequent SPS Overlay reinstatement with
conventional repairs has led to repeat business from the owner.

b. Shows the fitting of perimeter bars and spacers prior to installing the new top
plate.

c. Fitting of new top plate that forms the shallow airtight box into which
Intelligent Engineering’s field staff injects the core.

d. During the curing process, the top plate is maintained flat by fitting temporary
restraint beams, which are held in position by magnets supplied by Intelligent
Engineering.

e. The injection head is attached and pumps chemicals into the cavity.

f. The finished surface is extremely flat and capable of absorbing severe impact
loads without distortion.
 (a) (b) (c)

(d) (e) (f)

Figure 14 – SPS Overlay Process

5.3 Summary of Benefits

 The process is safer by virtue of the structure remaining intact and because of
the convenient access and reduced hot work (thermal cutting and welding).

 The resulting repaired structure will not have any misalignments and the
potential build-up of locked-in stresses and fatigue concentrations is avoided.

 SPS Overlay embodies the same characteristics of the newbuild composite

structure, e.g. high impact resistance, built-in fire protection, noise and
vibration attenuation and reduced fatigue stresses.

 Plating that has corroded significantly beyond conventional limits can be

repaired by the SPS Overlay concept to the satisfaction of the Classification
Societies.

 The process is very straightforward and no special skills are required for the
steelwork, which IE can provide as a turnkey package.

 The reduced manual labour content of SPS Overlay effectively reduces the
price difference between Europe and the Far East.

 The time taken to repair is typically four or five times faster than crop and
replace and time savings are further enhanced as there is no need to detach and
re-attach piping and electrical services and insulation. Steelwork man hours
are typically 80-90% less than crop and replace.
5.4 SPS Overlay Case Studies

Isle of Arran

The Isle of Arran is a passenger/vehicle ferry owned by Caledonian MacBrayne

and was built in 1984 by Ferguson’s in Port Glasgow. The vehicle deck was

designed to carry a combination of cars and trucks, with the axle load of the trucks
limited to 11 tonnes and parking restricted to specified lanes.

Life extension plans for the vessel included a requirement to fit a Hi Fog fire
protection system in the engine room, located directly below the vehicle deck, and
to strengthen the deck to take 2 axle trucks with 14 tonnes per axle across the full
760m² of deck area.

The steel work was carried out by Garvel Clyde at their yard near Glasgow. A thin
Overlay satisfied the new wheel loading criteria, with work below deck limited to
the fitting of six brackets at existing pillar locations. The work was completed
inside 3 weeks and the effect was to take the deck strengthening off the critical
time path by allowing work on the fire protection installation to proceed in
parallel.

Figure 15 – Isle of Arran Figure 16 – SEDCO 600 Helideck

SEDCO 600 Helideck

Transocean required the helideck on their drilling rig to be upgraded to meet new
legislation, under which landing loads are taken as a greater multiplier of the
aircraft deadweight. Approximately two-thirds of the 445m² helideck was integral
with accommodation spaces and a conventional crop and replace solution
therefore required extensive and time-consuming removals of ceilings, insulation,
air conditioning, piping and electrical services. The strengthening was carried out
without disruption to the accommodation spaces in a little over two weeks at the
PPL shipyard in Singapore.

6. CONCLUSIONS

The unique characteristics of SPS provides new and exciting options in the design
and maintenance of Naval vessels. The technology is robust and SPS is approved
by the major Classification Societies and Lloyd’s Register issued guidelines for
the construction of ships in SPS in March 2006.
REFERENCES

1. Kuo, C, “Managing Ship Safety”, LLP Ltd London, 1998, ISBN 1-85978-841-
6.

2. “The Public Inquiry Into The Piper Alpha Disaster”, The Cullen Report,
HSMO Cm 1310, Nov 1990.

3. “M.V. Herald of Free Enterprise – Fatal Accident Investigation” (Sheen

Report), Report of Court No 8074, UK Dept of Transport, 1987.

4. Eyres, “Ship Construction”

5. Chambers, D W., “Design of Ship Structures”, HMSO, 1993, ISBN

0117727172

6. Smith, C S, “Design of Marine Structures in Composite Materials”, Elsevier,

1990.

7. Proceedings from a series of International Conferences on Computer

Application in Shipbuilding called (ICCAS), starting from 1973 in Japan to
Malmo in 2002.

8. “A New Concept for New Age – The Sandwich Plate System (SPS) for
Shipbuilding”, Lloyds Register Marine Bulletin, September 2000.

9. Kennedy, S J, “Strength, Performance and Safety of SPS (Sandwich Plate

System)”, Schiffbautag, Hamburg, October 2003.

10. Brooking, M A Kennedy, S J, “The Performance, Safety and Production

Benefits of SPS Structures for Double Hull Tankers”, RINA Int. Conf. On
Double Hull Tankers, London Feb 2004-09-02.

11. Kuo, C., Sukovoy, O., Little, N., Sharp, A., “The Generic Management
System (GMS) Approach to Fire Safety of Composite Materials”, Interfram
2004, Edinburgh, July 2004.

12. Kuo, C., Welch D W., “Sandwich Plate System and its use in Effective
Shiprepair”, European Shipbuilding Repair and Conversion – The Future,
London , November 2004.

13. Sukovoy, O., Kuo, C., Little, N., Kennedy, S., J., “SPS – Satisfying SOLAS
Fire Safety Requirements”, Design for Safety Conference, Osaka, Oct 2004.

14. “Guidelines on Alternative Design and Arrangements for Fire Safety”, IMO
MSc/Circular 1002, Annex FP45/16 2001.

15. Welch, D W., “The Sandwich Plate System”, IMarEST/IESIS, Glasgow,

2005.
16. Kennedy, D.J.L et al., “The Sandwich Plate System for Bridge Decks”,
th
Proceedings 19 Ann. Int. Bridge Conf, Engineers Society of Western
Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, June 2002.

17. Kennedy, S.J., “Innovative use of Sandwich Plate System for Civil and
Marine Applications”, Int. Symposium Innovation and Advances in Steel
Structures, Singapore, August 2004.
Author’s Biography

Denis Welch joined Intelligent Engineering in January 2002 as Director

SPS Overlay. He trained as a Naval Architect at Swan Hunter and was a
senior consultant with A&P Appledore before joining British
Shipbuilders as Director of Ship Production Technology. Since then he
has held several senior management positions in engineering-led
manufacturing industries, including spells as Deputy Managing Director
of Cleveland ridge and Engineers, Plant Manager at Cummins Diesel and
Managing Director of GEC Marconi’s Electro Optic Systems Division.
Appendix A

SPS Technology Development

Material Characterisation

The polyurethane elastomer core is an engineered plastic that has been developed
by Elastogran GmbH in accordance with Intelligent Engineering’s material
characterisation specification for the anticipated extremes of the full range of
operating temperatures between -45ºC and +100ºC. Mechanical properties of the
elastomer, including density, tensile strength (as illustrated in Figure A.1(a)),
compressive strength, shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio were verified in
accordance with the appropriate ASTM or DIN standards and are summarised in
Table A.1.

Table A.1 Characteristic Elastomer Material Properties

Test Results
Density
e = 1150 kg/m
3

Tensile Behaviour
Property -80 oC -60 oC -40 oC -20 oC 23 oC 60 oC 80 oC
E (MPa) 3859 2924 1765 1164 874 436 248
y
Mechanical Properties

38.9 29.5 28.4 23.0 16.1 8.1 6.2

(MPa)
u () 7.2 11.1 13.2 15.1 32.1 43.1 47.4
Compressive Behaviour
Property -80oC -60 oC -40 oC -20 oC 23 oC 60 oC 80 oC
E (MPa) 3878 2813 1347 1166 765 501 336
y
52.1 33.5 30.9 21.4 18.0 10.2 7.9
(MPa)
Shear Modulus (Torsion Pendulum Test)
-
Property -60 oC -40 oC -20 oC 23 oC 60oC 80 oC
80oC
G 1386 955 559 429 285 180 135
(MPa)
Poisson Ratio

0.36
Thermal Expansion Coefficient
Thermal Properties

Property -30 oC -10 oC 10 oC 30 50 oC 70 oC

o
C

x10-6m/m· oC) 96.1 120.1 133.6 148 162.5 184.7
.7
Specific Heat
Property -20 oC 23 oC 60 oC 80 oC
c (J/kg·oC) 1217 1414 1588 1687
Thermal Conductivity
k = 0.1774 W/m•o C (R-value/mm thickness = 0.032 o F·ft2·h/Btu)

Structural Behaviour And Performance

Classification rules commonly specify minimum plate slenderness parameters to

preclude local failures because such failures prevent the flexural and compression
members (stiffened steel plates, girders, transverses) from reaching their
maximum strength. For the SPS system, in a parallel manner, a minimum bond
strength and a modulus of elasticity of the core material are required to preclude
local failures and to limit shear deformations in the core that reduce this strength.
These values have been determined analytically and verified by tests.

Bond at the interface between the core and face plates is required for composite
action under normal operating loads, which may include dynamic loading events
like wave action or impact loads (grab or heavy cargo) that occur frequently; and
must be maintained for the full range of normal operating temperatures. More
than one thousand tests have been conducted in shear and direct tension (direction
of load transfer across the interface) on bond strength test specimens, as illustrated
in Figure A.1(b), with a variety of surface preparations (primed surface,
commercial bonding agents, surface roughness, casting conditions, elastomer
properties, ambient temperatures, base metals, and on samples subject to
advanced corrosion, seawater and chemicals to determine the bond strength for
anticipated fabrication and operating conditions. Based on the results of these
tests, specifications for surface preparation and design values have been
established.

The characteristic flexural and compressive strength of SPS plates was established
by tests as illustrated in Figures A.1(c) and (e). Compression tests included
stocky columns, which gives cross sectional compressive strength (no buckling)
and more slender columns that failed by either inelastic or elastic global buckling.
The tests verify that SPS plates with a core modulus of elasticity greater than the
minimum specified can obtain the flexural (plastic moment capacity) or
compressive strength without local buckling, de-lamination of the face plates or
any other local failure modes generally associated with laminates. Analytical
predictions of strength calculated from commercially available finite element
programs, verified against the test results, were in close correspondence with
mean test-to-predicted ratios of 0.98 and 1.05 and coefficients of variation less
than 5% for flexure and compression respectively. Additional full-scale ultimate
(proof) load tests, like the lashing pot test shown in Figure A.1(d), are conducted
as required.

The same finite element programs are being used for parametric model studies to
develop design equations for Classification Rules for determining the scantlings
for SPS ships and SPS ship components. Intelligent Engineering is currently
working with Lloyd’s Register on developing a set of rules and regulations for
sandwich plate ship structures. Until these rules are available, SPS ships can be
designed and assessed by direct design calculations, which establish equivalency
to comparative steel ships. Intelligent Engineering has received approvals from
major ship classification societies for the use of SPS in new builds and the
rehabilitation of ships with over 26,000 m² of SPS decks, hulls, tank tops,
bulkheads, bow fingers and funnel casings in service on 30 projects.
 90
-80oC
80
70 -60oC
60 -40oC
St ress , M Pa

50
-20o C
40
30 23 oC
20 60 oC
10
80o C
0
0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000
Strain, 

(a) elastomer tension coupon test (b) bond strength

(c) flexural strength

(d) lashing pot pull-out test (e) compressive strength

Figure A 1 - Global and Local Strength

(a) fatigue resistance of a block connection (b) salt water and chemical resistance

(c) inherent vibration damping provided by (d) ballistic resistance

visco-elastic core
Figure A.2 - Improved Resistance
Other performance characteristics that have been established and quantified
include:

 Fatigue resistance (S-N curves) of the interface bond and welded connection
details specifically developed to join prefabricated SPS plates (refer to Figure
A.2(a)).

 Salt water and chemical resistance of the elastomer core should it become
exposed during the life of the structure. Figure A.2(b) shows test samples
from one of four test series where sets of 30mm elastomer cubes were
completely immersed in typical chemical species.

 Vibration damping and structural borne noise transmission Figure A.2(c)

illustrates typical displacement attenuation curves for SPS and steel plates
subject to a single pulse. The inset picture illustrates a standard vibration
characterisation test conducted at BASF laboratories in Ludwigshafen.

 Ballistic resistance limits for stiffened steel and SPS plates (all-steel and bi-
metal) subject to standard 7.62mm rounds are illustrated in Figure A.2(d).
These tests were conducted by QINETIQ (formally DERA).

Fire Resistance and Engineering

SPS has exceptional resistance to fire. It is an extremely effective barrier to heat,

flame, smoke and toxic gases. It will contain a fire and prevent it spreading to
adjacent compartments, greatly limiting the growth of a fire throughout a
structure. This has been demonstrated by an extensive series of full-scale deck
panel and bulkhead tests, conducted in accordance with IMO (SOLAS) standards
at independent fire laboratories. The Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) co-
developed the fire safety test programme and has witnessed SPS fire tests. Figure
A.3(a) shows the standard SOLAS stiffened steel deck panel without structural
fire protection. The plate is severely distorted and the maximum surface
temperature increase on the unexposed surface is +713ºC. The surface
temperature on SPS plate with structural fire protection, shown in Figure A.3(b),
is +5ºC. The corresponding temperature on an insulated steel plate was +192ºC.

a) Stiffened Steel Plate b) SPS 8-40 8 deck plate

Figure A3 - Safety of Life at Sea – Enhanced Fire Resistance
The steel faceplates present a fully non-combustible barrier to a fire that may
occur from either side and the elastomer core provides an extremely effective
insulator against heat from fires. If an SPS panel is directly exposed to fire for an
extended period then the elastomer core acts as sacrificial layer on the fire side
(ablation) and gases from the elastomer surface vent into the fire side through
temperature controlled pressure release valves. Only the exposed elastomer
surface layer is affected, the remaining elastomer and the elastomer-steel bonded
surface on the unexposed surface are unaffected.

SPS can provide greater insulation than conventional arrangements. After the
standard 60-minute fire test (945ºC at one hour), the average temperature increase
on the unexposed surface of a SPS 4-25-4 plate without structural fire protection
was 96ºC. The corresponding increase for a SPS 8-40-8 plate was 24ºC. For an
A-60 barrier, SOLAS requires this increase to be no greater than 140ºC. With
SPS plates the unexposed surface remains cooler longer, extending containment
of the fire, and allowing more time for people to escape and fire fighters to fight
the fire. Based on the experimental evidence and fire engineering analyses
conducted with the University of Strathclyde, the MCA has submitted the
following information papers to the IMO on the performance and behaviour of
SPS when subjected to fire loads.

 Equivalence of a New Composite Structural Material to Steel in Maritime

Structures SPS (Sandwich Plate System), Maritime Safety Committee 74th
session, 2001

Fire Equivalence of SOLAS Chapter II-2 for the Sandwich Plate System (SPS),
Sub-committee on Fire Protection 47 th session, 2002
 (a) corner impact test, punctured steel plate (b) corner impact test, SPS plate - no rupture

(c) deformed shape of large-scale stiffened steel (d) deformed shape of large-scale SPS double hull
icebreaker hull test specimen product oil tanker test specimen

steel
SPS plate

(e) stiffened steel hull- terrorist bomb (f) blast test specimens
Figure A.4 - Environmental and Asset Protection – Impact and Blast Resistance
Lloyd’s Register, together with the University of Strathclyde, are conducting a
series of Fire Engineering Analyses for a number of SPS designs in accordance
with recently introduced IMO guidelines (SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 17).
Based on the analysis of the DFDS Tor Line funnel casing constructed with
prefabricated SPS plates, Lloyd’s Register presented the following conclusion in
the submission, which was submitted to the Danish Maritime Authority and is
now approved.

“From review of the extensive research and development and the fire engineering
analysis carried out by Intelligent Engineering Limited and Strathclyde
University, some of which is reproduced in this report, it is concluded that for its
intended use, SPS meets all the relevant safety objectives and functional
requirements of the revised SOLAS Chapter II-2 and should be considered as at
least equivalent to a conventional insulated stiffened steel plate of A-60 fire
rating.”

Energy Absorption

To increase its energy absorption capacity, a structure must be simplified and

designed to allow localized progressive plastic membrane action in the hull or side
shell plating to occur. Simplification is achieved by eliminating stiffeners and by
introducing a plate structure with equivalent in-plane buckling capacity and
stiffness to the stiffened plate, and flexural capacity to sustain transverse loads.
This is uniquely achieved with the SPS plate section. Furthermore, the ductile
core eliminates hard spots over primary supports and provides continuous support
to the faceplates, dissipating localized bending strains. The net effect is an
increase to the puncture resistance and blast resistance. A further benefit is that
the polyurethane elastomer provides an effective crack arrest layer. In the case of
double hull product oil tankers, the inner cargo tank lining can be effectively
isolated from cracks that propagate from tears (sheared plating which may
eventually occur under high energy impacts) in the outer hull through the framing
members into the inner hull, thus preventing oil outflow.

Figures A.4(a) and (b) graphically illustrate the local impact resistance of a
stiffened steel plate and a SPS plate when subjected to a corner shaped impactor,
simulating the impacts of ship hulls with floating semi-submerged containers or
dead heads or grazing off wharfs or from grabs for tank tops in bulk carriers. The
impactor was mounted on a pendulum swing with a mass of 2 tonnes that was
raised two metres and released. The impactor struck the plate at approximately 20
km/hr. The stiffeners of the steel plate were buckled where they framed into
transverses and the plating was holed or punctured. The impacted faceplate of the
SPS plate was plastically deformed in the shape of the impactor and embedded
into the elastomer core in the shape, but not penetrated.

Figure A.4(c) shows a plastically deformed stiffened steel plate icebreaker hull
section. At the load points the hull plating was bent sharply (hard spot with
concentrated bending strains) and ruptured. Figure A.4(d) shows the outer hull of
a 40,000 dwt SPS product oil tanker loaded with four 500T actuators. The hull
plates, and longitudinal and transverse girders, were designed for both normal
operating loads and to maximize the energy absorption capacity for extreme loads
events. The hull plating developed plastic membrane action between longitudinal
girders, which extended into adjacent cells as the longitudinal buckled. Rupture
of the outer SPS plating did not occur as the elastomer core effectively distributed
the load and dissipated the bending strains.

Figures A.4(e) and (f) show a stiffened steel hull section that was subject to a
terrorist bomb attack and two structurally equivalent plates that were subjected to
underwater blast loads. In both cases the steel plates shear, tear and open. Not
only is the hull ruptured but also a significant portion of the blast energy was
transmitted to the structure or contents behind the hull plate causing secondary
damage. The SPS plate effectively contained the blast load through plastic
membrane action.

The use of SPS plates coupled with the appropriate energy absorption design
philosophy improves the crash worthiness of the hull structure (maximizes the
total energy absorption of the structure), provides a decreased risk of
environmental pollution and asset protection.