Numerical Study on the Effect of Transverse Baffles on the Stability of Iron Concentrate in a Cargo Hold

Abstract

Cargo fluidization is one of the main causes of ship capsizing accidents, which has been concerned by International Association of Classification Societies. Iron concentrate is regarded as the research object, its movement in the cargo hold is simulated using discrete element method. To effectively reduce the sloshing amplitude of cargo in the cargo hold, four conditions that considering the transverse baffles are designed. The stability of cargo is analyzed in detail from the offset of cargo gravity center and the contact force on the bulkhead induced by the cargo movement. Numerical simulation results show that the installation of transverse baffles can effectively reduce the sloshing amplitude of cargo in the cargo hold. Especially, it can better restrain the variation of center of gravity of cargo in the y-direction. The study focuses on the influence of baffles with different lengths on the stability of cargo in the cargo hold, which can provide a reference for the prevention of bulk carrier accidents.