Development of Doubler Plate Design System for Ship Structure Subjected to In-plane Combined Loads and Lateral Pressure

Abstract

A design system was developed for the doubler plate of a ship structure simultaneously subjected to in-plane loads and lateral pressure based on general dimensions and those of a representative ship structure. An equivalent design equation that considers various structural design parameters was derived by introducing the equivalent plate thickness theory, and the design of the doubler plate reinforcement of the ship structure was developed. A hybrid structural design system was established for a doubler plate simultaneously subjected to in-plane loads and lateral pressure consisting of two modules: an optimized design module and a double plate strength & design review module. The practical application of this design system was illustrated to show its usability. It was found that the design safety of the doubler plate was ensured, and this system could be used as an initial design guide to review the double plate reinforcement for a dent or corrosion of the ship plate members. Using the developed design system would make it possible to obtain a more reasonable doubler plate structure that considers the rational reinforcement of plate members of ship structures. In addition, a more reliable structural analysis using a strength evaluation process can be performed to verify the efficiency of the optimum structural design for the doubler plate structure.