All Metal Sandwich Panels for Ship Applications: Shipyard 2000, Spin-Off Project

摘要

Applications of all metal sandwich panels with corrugated cores on shipstructures are studied in this report. The topics studied include items for the preliminary design such as: strength requirements and strength testing of the panels, minimization of the weight by optimized scantilings, production of the panels with laser welding, and testing of the fire and noise characteristics of the test panels. Three panels were manufactured for the fire and noise testing and four panels for the strength testing. Substantial weight savings can be achieved by the all metal sandwich panels as the panels are found to be 40 to 50% lighter than the conventional steel grillages used as deck structures on passenger ships. Laser welding is found to be suitable for the efficient manufacturing of the panels. The static strength of the welded joints is adequate. Secondary structures might be the first applications of these panels on ships. Additional work should be devoted to issues, such as fatigue of the laser welds, vibrations, and corrosion of the thin structures, before these panels can be considered as primary load carrying elements on ships. (Copyright (c) 1995 Helsinki University of Technology.)