HULL STRUCTURE MONITORING OF THE ARMIDALE CLASS PATROL BOAT

摘要

Austal Ships and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) have undertaken a collaborative project to develop an innovative hull condition-monitoring network for the Armidale Class Patrol Boat (ACPB). A prototype system has been designed and will be installed on The Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) HMAS Glenelg. Potential advantages of the new system include reduced power requirements, lower hardware cost, reduced sensor sizes and increased versatility of a sensor network that utilizes a "plug-in" approach such that monitoring capabilities can be easily adapted to evolving requirements. Long-term operational experience of high-performance hullforms is mainly limited to the commercial fast-ferry sector. The corresponding design space and operational profile is generally different to that of a naval patrol boat. Therefore, there is a need to develop a greater understanding of the short and long-term structural response of such high-speed aluminium semi-planing hulls for naval operations. This paper describes the sensors and the network architecture. An outline is then given of how the data will be analysed to develop a capability for structural fleet management and life-assessment.