English

Abstract

This paper presents modelling and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation studies on the reconstruction of the historic Medway Queen riveted steel ship. The objective of this study is to assess the longitudinal stress in the hull plates of the Medway Queen (MQ) under various sea and load conditions. Detailed stress analysis in the localised riveted joint regions on the hull is also undertaken. A detailed three-dimensional (3D) digitised model is generated and the used to obtain the cross sectional steel profiles of the ship and their section properties. Finite element analysis with structural elements is used to assess shear stress and bending moments of the ship structure. The model predictions for longitudinal stresses in hull plates are combined with stress assessments for the individual rivet joints in different, judged to be most critical, locations along the ship’s length. The structural beam model is used to simulate the ship’s stress behaviour under hogging and sagging conditions with two different wave heights. Four sets of live loads are also added to the to the simulation cases. From the longitudinal bending moment and shear force of all sixteen simulations cases, twenty extreme locations are identified and average stress on rivets of joints closed to these locations are predicted. Stress values predicted are below the maximum permissible value of 100Nmm-2 specified by British standards BS153 and BS449. In addition, hull plate test samples with various thicknesses of plates connected with various diameter rivet joints are experimentally tested to assess independently the rivet joint strength and validate the failure criteria adopted in the modelling methodology. The test results have agreed favourably with the limits detailed in the standards