Ultimate strength of container ships subjected to combined hogging moment and bottom local loads, Part 2: An extension of Smith's method

Abstract

This paper is the second of two companion papers concerning the ultimate hull girder strength of container ships subjected to combined hogging moment and bottom local loads. The nonlinear finite element analysis in Part 1 has shown that local bending deformation of a double bottom due to bottom lateral loads significantly decreases the ultimate hogging strength of container ships. In this Part 2, extending Smith's method for pure bending collapse analysis of a ship's hull girder, a simplified method of progressive collapse analysis of ultimate hogging strength of container ships considering bottom local loads is developed. The double bottom is idealized as a plane grillage and the rest part of the cross section as a prismatic beam. An average stress-average strain relationship of plate/stiffened plate elements employed in Smith's method is transformed into an average stress-average plastic strain relationship, and implemented in the conventional beam finite element as a pseudo strain hardening/softening behaviors. The extended Smith's method is validated through a comparison with nonlinear finite element analysis.