Application of Finite Element Simulation to Damage on Ship Structures during Ship Collisions

摘要

To reduce the structural damage from ship collisions and improvethe energy absorption capacity of ships, a ship-ship collisionmodel was established to simulate the process of collision. Theinitial kinetic energy of collision ship transforms into plasticdeformation energy absorption, the remaining kinetic energy andthe energy absorption of a fluid medium of a collided ship takeup a negligible proportion so it can be disregarded. Based on thelaw of conservation of energy and using the collision of ship’sbow and another ship’s side as an example, the effects ofcollisions at different speeds including 10kts and 15kts at thesame angles 45°, 60°and 90°, respectively and fromdifferent angles at the same speed on the structural damage ofship collision areas are discussed. In addition, an appropriatecollision state is defined so as to be beneficial for navigators whomust reduce the losses from collision in cases of inevitablecollision by steering based on simulations and display of thenonlinear dynamic responses using the finite element analysisprogram DYTRAN. When structural damage of the bow is small,the structural damage of the side is very big; the bow is regardedas a rigid body and the side is regarded as a deformation body.Simulation results indicate that the speed and angle have an effecton the energy absorption of a ship; different speeds and anglescan lead to different degrees of structural damage. This researchprovides an empirical foundation for the control of speed andangle and also provides a reference for maritime collisioninvestigations.