Evaluation of the pressure-resisting capability of membrane-type corrugated sheet under hydrodynamic load

Abstract

Fluid impact load-induced collapse of the corrugated sheet in the primary barrier of liquefied natural gas carrier (LNGC) cargo containment systems is recognized as one of the most dangerous deformation phenomena because it leads to catastrophic failure of the containment system. Thus, significant efforts have been dedicated to precisely evaluating the load-carrying capacity of the primary barrier. However, due to the lack of testing methods and the complex geometry of the corrugated primary barrier sheet, the structural behavior of the sheet under impact-induced pressure has rarely been investigated. The aim of this study is to develop design support methodology ensuring the integrity of the primary barriers in LNG cargo containment systems. A custom-built experimental facility was developed to create uniform pressurization on the primary barrier sheet. The out-of-plane deformations of the sheet were observed over time during the experiment. To create a reliable numerical method applicable in the design stage, a series of parametric studies using finite element analyses (FEA) were conducted. Based on the comparison between the numerical solutions and experimental results, a practical method to estimate the typical deflection patterns based on the corrugation type was developed. Thus, we demonstrate that the insights from experimental observations as well as FEA techniques can be used in the practical design support methodology.