Ultimate strength of container ships subjected to combined hogging moment and bottom local loads part 1: Nonlinear finite element analysis

Abstract

This paper is the first of two companion papers concerning the ultimate hull girder strength of container ships subjected to combined hogging moment and bottom local loads. In the midship part of container ships, upward bottom local loads are usually larger than the downward ones. This leads to the increase of biaxial compression in the outer bottom plating and the reduction of the ultimate hull girder strength in the hogging condition. In this Part 1, the collapse behavior and ultimate strength of container ships under combined hogging moment and bottom local loads are analyzed using nonlinear finite element method. Buckling collapse behavior of bottom stiffened panels during the progressive collapse of a hull girder is closely investigated. It has been found that major factors of the reduction of ultimate hogging strength due to bottom local loads are (1) the increase of the longitudinal compression in the outer bottom and (2) the reduction of the effectiveness of the inner bottom, which is on the tension side of local bending of the double bottom. The obtained results will be utilized in the Part 2 paper to develop a simplified method of progressive collapse analysis of container ships under combined hogging moment and bottom local loads.