Aalto University

School of Engineering
Kul-24.4120 Ship Structural Design (P)

Lecture 1 Design of Ship Structures

Where is this lecture on the course?

Lecture 1: Lecture 2:
Design of Ship structures Materials selection in ship
structures and structural
general arrangement

Design Framework

Loads

Response Strength
 Contents
Aim is to give overview of the structural design of ship and
to understand structural design from different viewpoints.
The aim is also to create systematic framework to carry out
the structural design at concept stage and understand the
relation of this design to final design.
Different areas of structural design and dimensioning
Specifics of ship structure
Design philosophies
Hierarchy of ship structure
Terminology
Framework of ship structural design
Loads, response and strength
Optimization and reliability
Concept design
Basic design
Detail design
Validation
Literature
1. Taggart, Ship design and construction Ch. VI ss. 207 -274
2. Caldwell, J., Load actions on ship structure. WEGEMT, 1978.
3. Rawson, K, & Tupper, E. Basic Ship Theory. Vol. I
 Motivation
Ship structural design involves many stake
holders
People dealing with general arrangement
Machinery
Safety
Etc.
As structural designer you must guarantee safety
of the ship in terms of structure and do this in the
way that is
Cost efficient: production, maintenance
Lightweight

As the design of the ship is changing during
design you must balance between
accuracy and speed of the design methods
Concept design
Basic design
Detail design
Production drawings
Weekly Exercise
Baltic Sea
Exercise 1: Input for Structural

9 months in open water
3 months in ice
Design - Given 06.01.2015 09:00, X trips per day/week
Y speed
Return 12.01.2015 09:00 Z cars and ZZ busses
Define the operational profile for

your ship, i.e. the mission, DNV 2007 Ships above 100m
DNV 2007 Passenger Ships
operations during summer and DNV 2007 Ice-going vessels
winter time and the requirements

for functionalities. Any other relevant info for

Define the classification society structural design, such as
Missing bulkheads
for your ship and identify all rules

that you need to consider for you

ship type, e.g. (passenger ships,
ice-going vessels etc).
Report and discuss the work.
Specifics
Ship is the largest moving structure, which has to
be:
watertight
lightweight
safe
etc

Ship Structure: A collection of beams and plates

connected in the way that they form a ship
Ship operates in the interface of water and air (and
in some cases ice,.., it might collide or ground)
Load is statistical and theoretically very complicated there is
no maximum for the environmental load!
Probability theory is the way to treat uncertainty
Typically ships are operated at least 20-30 years

Seawater can cause corrosion and metals, be

harmful for composites etc
Ship has to be economical which leads often to
lightweight, thin-walled structure
 Design Philosophies
Safe life
Here extremely low risk of failure is
accepted, e.g. the structure will
never experience detectable crack
Leads often to large structural
weight
Fail-safe
Mean that the structure will not
endanger lives or properties when
it fails
There is a back up plan, for
example a crack arrester (stiffener
etc)
Damage tolerance
The structure can sustain defects
until repair can be done
Critical crack length during voyage
etc
 Division of Structural Response in Different
Levels
Classical simplification in order to primery structure laivapalkki
simplify the structural analysis is to hull girder
divide the response assessment to three
levels bulkhead
Primary level (hull girder), 1
Secondary level (e.g. double bottom), 2
Tertiary level (e.g. Plate, stiffener), 3
Class rules book follows this principle
Analysis of tertiary structures
secondary str bouble bottom
Analysis of secondary structures
Check longitudinal strength
floor

long.
frame
tertiary str.
Main Elements of Hull Girder
Level 1 kansi
deck
Hull girder consists of main elements which form
closed compartments
Deck
Bottom shell pitkittinen laipio
Side shell sivu laidoitus
longitudinal bulkhead
side shell
Longitudinal bulkhead
Transverse bulkead poikittainen laipio
transverse bulkhead

Bilge
In certain ship types some of the main elements are
missing
Ro-Ro ships: transverse bulkheads pohjalaidoitus
Container ships: main deck due to cargo hatches palle
bilge
bottom shell

These elements carry mainly the hull girder bending,

shear and torsion loads, 1
These primary loads and resulting stresses can break
the ship, secondary and tertiary often cause often only
local failures (of course hull girder collapse can start
from these)
Secondary Elements
Level 2
Secondary level consists of parts that can
deform in larger scale
Double bottom
Double side
Web frames
Longitudinal girder
Grillages
In certain ship types some of the main
elements of these responses are
dominating
Ro-Ro ships: web frame bending
Bulk carriers: bending of double bottom
Transfers load between level 1 and 3
Acts as boundary condition for level 3
response evaluation
Acts as internal load for level 1 response
evaluation
Tertiary Elements
Level 3
Tertiary level consists of local parts such
as
Plating
Longitudinals
Transversals
Can be assessed using basic beam and
plate theory
Classical Presentation of Load Transfer
Pressure on Bottom Plating
Pressure on plate supported by
longitudinals and web frames
Line load, p*s, on longitudinals
supported by web frames
Point loads on web frames
supported by side structures
Framing systems are
Longitudinal
Transversal
Mixed
Longitudinal vs. Mixed Framing
Longitudinal frames
Good for longitudinal bending
Bad for transverse loads
Transverse frames
Bad for longitudinal bending
Good for transverse loads
Mixed framing is often utlized if
we have high local pressures
such as ice loads
 Terminology Used in Ship Structures
Mixed Framing System
CL
1 deck plating 2 1
S S
2 deck stringer
3 tank top
4 sheer strake
4 15
17 14

S
5 bilge strake
6 keel plate
7 center girder 13
8 floor 16
9 sidegirder
10 side bracket
11 side stringer 12
11
12 bracket
13 frame
14 deck beam
15 longitudinal deck girder 22 3 19 21
16 web frame
10
17 transverse deck girder
18 bottom frame
S

8
19 stiffener 9
20 bilge keel 5 9
7
21 manhole
22 notch S S
20
18 6
 Parts of the Structural Design Task
Estimation of the load
Hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads, ice loads etc
Accelerations due to ship motions
Evaluation of the structural response
Normal and shear stresses
Deflections
Eigen frequencies and modes Design Framwork
Strength assessment (limit states)
Ultimate (yield)
Buckling
Fatigue
Brittle fracture Loads
Often these tasks can be carried out independent from each other, i.e.
Load does not affect the response and strength, etc
This is called quasi-static approach
However, there are cases where load and strength are coupled (hydro elasticity, Response Strength
collision, grounding), i.e. load affects the strength and vice versa non-linear
simulations are needed for deterministic cases
The accuracy of assessment of each of these parts need to be in balance
Allowable stress vs. limit state design
Allowable stress may have large or small reserve depending on level of
optimization, uncertainty, material and structural detail it does not calculate the
failure mode related stress value
Limit state design calculates failure mode related stress values and compares
acting stresses to those
Succesful vs. Unsuccesful Structural
Analysis
Load X Response X Strength = Result

50% 100% 100% 50%

90% 90% 90% 73%
Crack propagation
in ship
Hydroelasticity

Loads

Accidents
Response Strength

Structural
Collapse
Load Characterization

Internal or external loading of hull Type of load Frequency Examples

girder 1 Constant Non-periodic Ship production and own
weight
Static or dynamic loading, inertia 2 Once Non-periodic Launching, water pressure
on bulkheads in accidents
forces in case of dynamics 3 Docking period Docking period Docking loads, e.g.
bottom pillars
Controlled vs. uncontrolled load, 4 Journey Typical journey time Still water shear and
moment
how can load be changed by the Static pressure

captain? 5 Daily 24h

Temperature loads
Loads due to temperature
Direction 6 Wave Wave experiencing
variations
Hydrodynamics loads
Speed period Acceleration loads
wave length, ship Sloshing loads
Deterministic vs. propabilistic load, 7 Vibrations
speed
Eigenfrequency of the Hull girder vibration due
instead of accurate value only structure to impact (whipping) and

propability can be expressed 8 Impact Seconds

waves (springing)
Slamming

Design load vs. accidental

Ice load
Collision and Grounding
(ultimate) load
Forces of nature are unknown and do
not have upper limit!
 Response
Primary laivapalkki
response,
1 jnnitys hull girder

Neutral axis
neutraaliakseli

3 n

2 jnnitys
Secondary response 3 response
Tertiary jnnitys

Bracket
polvio Weld
pienahitsi

normaalijnnitys levy
Plate
Keel plates
sivusiskli Longitudinal
pitkittiskaariframe Normal stress
 Strength Failure Modes

Ductile or brittle fracture (direct

fracture),
Instability
Buckling
Tripping
Fatigue fracture
Deformation
Creep
Accidents
 Structural Design at Shipyard
Many stakeholders Functional requirements for the structure

Process
Typical solutions for first weight Structural Design Materials
estimate Selection of Materials - Mechanical and Physical
Properties
Class rule book for basic - Price and delivery conditions
dimensioning
Steel General Arrangement
Production
Stiffener spacing - Bending and Cutting
- Welding
Web frame spacing
- Assembly
Improve weight estimate
Identify problem areas Cost analysis for different
options
Direct analysis for problem areas Optimization

Class approval
Drawings for production
Response from the production Class Approval
Approval with Ship Owner
Response from the operation
Motivation to Develop Structures
Ship performance can be improved by Collisions and groundings
trmysonnettomuuksien
68%
lightweight design kokonaismr 68 %

Manufacturing costs can be decreased Other

muu vaurio
Cost of materials lastivahinko
Cargo 6%6 % 3 %
Work costs and lead time tulipalo
Fire 8% 8 %
Ship safety karilleajo
Groundingstai
svahinko
Weather, flooding, pohjakosketus
Collision and grounding
vuoto, 38%
38 %
rolling etc.kaatuminen
9%
Fire safety

9%
Operation costs
Improving corrosion properties
Technical fault vika
tekninen
6% 6%
Maintenance costs

Repair of damages
trmys laituriin ym.
Collision to 8pier
%
Estechtics 8%
yhteentrmys
Collision
22 %
22%
 From Concept Design to Production Drawings
Passenger Ship
laivan tehtvt ja
Mission, GA,
yleisjrjestely Often passenger ship is small series ship,
Transverse stiffener Lines
linjapiirustus prototype with price 300-1000M
poikittainen kaarivli
spacing, kehyskaarijako
web frames Cost estimation
Concept valmistuskustannukset
design
Longitudinal stiffener
pitkittiskaarien Weight estimation
runkorakenteen painon laskenta General
spacing kaarivli Arrangement

Production Primary response:

valmistus- primrisen rakenteen
Bulkhead laipiojako
locations, drawings
aineisto - Hull laivapalkki
mitoitus: girder
tolppalinjat
pillar spacing
Structural Ship
Secondary
sekundaaristenresponse:
rakenteiden Response Production
Selectionmitoitustason
of mitoitus: kaksoispohja,
valinta
operational conditions - Web frames
kehyskaaret
- Double bottom
mitoituskuormat
Design loads:
- painekuormat Tertiary response:
- Pressures
- kiihtyvyyskuormat - Platesrakenteiden
tertiristen
- Accelerations
- aaltomomentti runkorakenteen
Material Selection: mitoitus: kansilevy ja kaaret
- Stiffeners
- tyynen veden momentti materiaalin valinta
- Wave bending loads - -Strength
lujuus
- Still water loads - Fracture
- iskusitkeystoughness
Optimization and Reliability
The classical division of loads, response
and strength work on assessment of
single design x=x(t,s,b,l.,,,)
In practice we are interested at least on
two variations around this design point x
+dx
Where is the optimum x*, i.e. the lightest,
fastest, safest, etc. design?
What happens to our design if we are
uncertain of the loads, dimension or
material strength? That is how reliable is
our design?
Depending on design stage reliability
and optimization can be carried out
using only limited
Accuracy of the model (2D vs 3D)
Degrees of freedom in design (how much
dimension are allowed to change due to
other design disciplines, design spiral)
 Types of optimization
Search for optimal design(s) is typically
constrainted
Finding minimum of weight, but making sure
that the structure does not fail One best
solution
Single-objective optimization
Optimize for one particular objective
Selection of solution is obvious History
E.g. in ships: weight of the steel structure

Multi-objective optimization
Optimize for several conflicting objectives
Search for Pareto front
Design selection for the most-efficient solution Multiple best
solutions
E.g. in ships: weight, production cost, VCG
 Reliability Motivation
Safety Factors for Design

Strength of materials analysis of failed and Strength
Capacity C

safely operated structures gives indication of the Load

Demand D
allowable stress and deformation limits for
design

These can be used to design new structures

Brittle materials, comparison to fracture stress of the
material

Ductile materials, comparison to yield stress of the
material

The ratio of allowable and fracture/yield stress is
called safety factor

Gives indication of the safety level
fail
Does not give level of probability of failure

The idea is to indicate how much the load could
be increased to still safely operate the ship or
structure
all
With respect to yield typical value is 1.35

With respect to fracture typical value is 1.80

Two items affect this

Objective uncertainty: loads, structural dimensions,
material

Subjective uncertainty: physical models, mathematical
models

 Structural Concept Design
New ship is often a prototype
Increase of ship size
Use of new GA/structures
General arrangement affects the structural
behavior, module dimensions
Cabin positioning with respect to pillars and web
frames
Container dimension
Promenade with respect to bulkheads
etc
Realistic estimate is needed very early in design
process
Changes become expensive
Correct nominal stress level
Steel weight estimation + c.o.g.
Production cost estimate etc
Methods
Traditional method, reference technigue
Optimize to get feasible design
Structural Analysis and Synthesis

Synthesis is development of a system from its components while

ensuring compability between components, loads and in-service
functions
Analysis is the proof that the synthesised system will provide the
required functions with acceptable reliability when subjected to
service loads
Optimization is the process of ensuring that the system analyzed is
the most efficient and economic means of providing the required
function.
Basic Design
3D Finite Element Model
At basic design our design is failry
fixed, i.e. we know quite accurately the
position of bulkheads, stiffener spacing
etc
However, the accuracy of the analysis
needs to be improved
Loads
Response
Strength
Optimization often happens by the
designer, not by computer
Typical tools are FEM, Strip/panel-
methods, product models (NapaSteel)
Basic Design
NAPA-steel model
 Detail Design
Main Frame of Passenger Ship and Production Drawings
The aim is to define production drawings with all relevant
details
Welds
Nesting, i.e. position and direction of stiffeners etc.
Continuity of structures
Etc
Presented in main frame drawing, i.e. typical section (not
only mid-ship)
Example on ship with following details
LOA 180,40 m
LPP 155,00 m
Ldim 157,46 m
B 25,50 m
TKVV 7,1 m
Tdim 7,5 m
Passengers 840
Cabins 420
Crew 360
Speed 27 kn 85% MCR
Power 4x9,45 MW

In the end of this course you should have the main

frame of your ship based on concept design
Validation
Validation is done by discussion with
Client (ship-owner)
Classification society (ABS, DNV,)
Authorities (USCG,)
The checked items
Calculations
Drawings
Building process
Outcome
Final validation happens at sea-trials by
checking that built ship is the same as
designed ship J
Stress levels for given load conditions
Vibration levels
Etc
Sometimes also lifetime validation is carried
out, e.g. measurement of responses over ship
life time
This helps to gain knowledge on the ship type
and develop future designs
New Ideas on Structural Layout
New ideas for main structural
elements need solid basis on
Understanding and analyzing the
life-time loads
Understanding and analyzing the
load-carrying mechanism of the ship
Understanding and analyzing the
strength of used materials and
structural solutions
Capability to optimize for reliable
solutions
Mistakes can have serious
consequences
 Summary
Aim was to give overview of the structural design of ship and to
understand structural design from different viewpoints
Specifics of ship structure
Hierarchy of ship structure
Terminology
Framework of ship structural design
Loads, response and strength can be often separated
Optimization and reliability are used to study design sensitivity to uncertainty
Concept design is used to get the design to right ball park with limited accuracy, but
large freedom to do modifications
Basic design is used to improve the accuracy of design but with limited freedom for
modifications
Detail design aims to develop information for production drawings
Validation aims to prove that the design works and to gain experience for new designs
Ship structural design is always affected by other disciplines, thus you
need to know your ship, not only from structural perspective!