A proposed method of predicting ship collision damage

Abstract In the past, research on ship collision strength has centered on nuclear ship structures, but now emphasis is shifting to low-energy collisions of ordinary ships carrying hazardous cargoes including crude oil. A ship collision is too complex to study using theoretical methods alone, yet tests with small-scale models of thin steel plate fail to duplicate actual ship collision damage for the following reasons: 1. (1) The fracture of actual ship shell plate and model shell plate defies the law of similarity; 2. (2) Some structural members are usually omitted for ease of fabrication in relatively small models. Accordingly, the authors propose a method for predicting ship collision damage that resorts to three combined experiments: 1. (1) A fundamental test determining the initiation of plate fracture; 2. (2) A local structure model test evaluating the effects of structural details; 3. (3) A structural model test investigating the deformation of a ship hull. This paper reviews, by way of example, some results of the experimental studies which the authors have performed. The laws of similarity proved very important in the study of plate fracture. The authors believe that the proposed method will prove useful especially in dealing with low-energy ship collisions.