Experimental study on the collision strength of VLCC side structures

Abstract

The aims of this study are to obtain the experimental data on the structural behavior of 2 types of side structures, standard VLCC and VLCC with additional side stringers, during ship-ship collision, and to investigate the internal mechanics related to the structural deformation of the struck ship, Two quasi-static collision tests were carried out on the models of side structures, which are a part of the double hull. As the bow of the striking ship is assumed to be rigid, the energy absorption capacity of 2 designs was studied. The contribution of various structural components, such as outer/inner shell plating, web frame, side stringer, etc, is discussed. Especially, the distribution of strain on the side shell plating during collision was collected in order to verify the usefulness of the numerical analysis by FEA codes.