WHEN IS A MAST A MAST? THE IMPACT OF INTEGRATED MASTS ON PLATFORM DESIGN AND CLASSIFICATION

摘要

Recent years have seen the development of integrated masts for warships, with early examples now at sea or underrnconstruction. These integrated masts allow the exploitation of modern materials and technology to improve sensorrnperformance and coverage. Further advantages to integrated mast designs include the delivery of the mast, sensors andrnrelated equipment as a completed module for installation. This can potentially remove the fit of the mast and thernassociated sensor system integration from the critical path for build and therefore contribute to de-risking of systemrntesting and acceptance. In addition, when considering retrofit, the integrated mast can be constructed and outfitted priorrnto vessel arrival for refit.rnIn general, integrated mast designs do not fit the mould of what a Naval Architect would classically describe as a mast.rnDifferences include the geometry, total weight, centre of gravity, materials used for the structure and the inclusion ofrnequipment spaces within the mast. The question now posed to the Naval Architect, is whether we need to revisitrntraditional mast design methodologies to take into account these changes of form and function, and how mast structurernshould be treated by classification societies. Finally, the change from bespoke mast structures built as part of the ship tornan integrated mast, designed as a common product and delivered as a complete equipment module, creates challengesrnwhen integrating common mast designs into multiple platforms.