Great Lakes Winter Navigation. Technical and Economic Analyses. Volume 1. Methods of Evaluation.

摘要

This volume explains the procedure that has been developed for predicting the economic performance of Great Lakes bulk carriers operating in extended seasons of various lengths. The technique is versatile. It can analyze almost any combination of design parameters,trade routes,and ship status (i.e.,proposed,existing,or existing but to-be-modified). The new tax deferral privilege is incorporated into the analysis,and a wide selection of measures of merit is available. The computerized portion of the work deals with the economics of any given individual ship. There are,however,brief sections in the report describing analytical techniques for optimizing fleet operations and for assessing the economic gains resulting from reduced inventory requirements. Four subsequent volumes describe the details of the computer program,draw some preliminary conclusions from parametric studies based on the program,explain a rationale for structural design for ice navigation,and report on conclusions reached from a methodical series of strength tests carried out on ferrocement reinforced steel plates.