Ultimate hull girder strength of a bulk carrier under combined global and local loads in the hogging and alternate hold loading condition using nonlinear finite element analysis

For bulk carriers in hogging, the most critical situation is the alternate hold loading (AHL) condition with odd numbered holds loaded with high density cargoes and even numbered holds empty. The effect of the local lateral pressure loads should be considered in the assessment of ultimate hull girder strength in the hogging and AHL conditions. In the present paper the ultimate strength of a Capesize bulk carrier hull girder under combined global and local loads in the hogging and AHL condition is extensively and systematically investigated using nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis with ABAQUS software. Since the bulk carrier used as a reference vessel in this study is an old design we also studied the effect of modified scantlings by multiplying the plate thickness in the bottom structure by a design modification factor (DMF). In particular, it should be noted that a DMF of 1.4 gives a design in accordance with the new CSR rules. Based on the results obtained by nonlinear FE analyses, a practical interaction equation is established between global hogging bending capacity and average external sea pressure over the bottom.