Design of Marine Structures in Composite Materials

Design of composite structures requires a thorough understanding of material fundamentals, including the possibilities for tailoring a fibre-reinforced composite to meet particular structural requirements. Design of marine structures requires additionally a knowledge of the marine environment, its influence on material properties and the special forms of loading and structural response with which it is associated. This book combines an account of composite material characteristics, related to the marine environment, with a discussion of structural analysis methods and design procedures. Individual chapters contain descriptions of current and potential future marine applications of composites, of related fabrication processes and of constituent fibre and matrix material. An account is given of the characteristics of fibre reinforced plastic laminates related to their use in marine structures, including the basics of anisotropic elasticity and classical laminate theory, characterization of strength, fatigue, creep, impact and the effects of a marine environment. Against this background the problems of structural design are addressed with consideration of load evaluation, stress analysis, buckling behaviour, design criteria and performance of connections. Several of the more important applications, such as mine-countermeasure vessels, weight critical vehicles, superstructures for ships and offshore platforms and pressure hulls of submersibles, are examined with reference to some illustrative design cases. Design of Marine Structures in Composite Materials is intended for engineers concerned with the application of composite materials in boats, ships, submersibles and offshore or deep-ocean installations. It will also be of use to students of naval architecture and ocean engineering who should be aware of the benefits obtainable by exploration of composite material.