A Study on the Collapse of Ship Structure in Collision with Bridge Piers

Abstract

The present paper gives the results of static tests on the fracture of simplified models of the bow and the side of ships, which were carried out for the purpose of examining the extent of fracture developed in a ship hull in collision with a bridge pier and estimating the amount of collision force. The models simulate the structures of somewhat small ships, ranging from 500 tons to 4, 000 tons in gross tonnage. We assume a bow collision in which a ship strikes in a right angle encounter with the flat plane of a bridge pier. It is assumed in a ship-side collision that a ship hits the corner parts of a bridge pier.The test results show that the buckling of hull plate is dominant in the strength of the bow of a ship. The load-penetration curves of the side of a ship show a distinct difference between transversely-framed side structures and longitudinally-framed ones. The collision force and the hull deformation calculated by a simple theoretical expression are graphically presented, for a range of gross tonnage of ships, in an attempt to derive general information on buffer equipments designed for the protection of both ship hulls and bridge piers.