Vierendeel Type Steel Truss/Composite Skin Hybrid Ship Hulls
Abstract:
The project dealt with mechanical issues related to hybrid ship hulls made with composite panels attached to a steel truss. The steel truss was designed to carry the bending loads of the hull girder, whereas the composite skins were designed to carry shear and water pressure loads. Experimental and numerical evaluations of the concept were performed. A six meter 20 ft model, which had been built and initially tested in 2004 under a separate grant, was turned upside-down and tested to verify performance under hogging loads. After these hogging tests, the model was turned back and tested to failure after simulated internal blast by removal of select panels. Material tests and elastic-plastic analyses were performed. Four journal papers describing the work on the present hybrid ship hull concept have been submitted for publication three have been published and the last one has been accepted.