➢ Possible distortions and strengths of Ship’s Structure;

Possible distortions of Ship’s Structure are discussed below:

❖ Longitudinal Bending in Vertical Plane: The ship can bend in a

longitudinal vertical plane due to static forces (buoyancy, weight).
This is one of the most important types of distortion to which the
ship is subjected and is one in which the entire structure of the ship
takes part.

❖ Longitudinal Bending in Horizontal Plane: When a ship moves

diagonally across a regular wave system, the crests are not
perpendicular to the center line of the ship. The slope of the waves at
various points in the length of the ship varies, being sometimes
positive and sometimes negative. This means that there are sideways
forces acting on the ship which will not only cause swaying, but also
bending in the horizontal plane.

❖ Twisting: Because of the variation in the wave slope at different

sections in the length, not only will sideways forces be generated but
there will also be moments applied at the various sections. As these
may change sign along the length of the ship, twisting is possible with
the consequent generation of torsional stresses.
❖ Transverse Distortion: A transverse section of a ship is subject first
of all to static pressure due to the surrounding water. It will also be
subjected to internal loading due to the weight of the structure itself
and the weight of cargo etc. which is carried. The effect of these static
forces is to cause transverse distortion of the section.

❖ Local Deformation: Not only do the water pressure and the local
internal loads cause transverse bending but it is possible to have
local deformation of the structure due to these forces. A typical
example of local deformation is the bottom plating of a ship between
floors or longitudinals. The tendency is for the plating to bend as a
beam in between these members. Other parts of the structure which
could be deformed under local loads are tank top plating, bulkheads,
girders under heavy loads such as machinery etc.
Summarizing the above, the overall problem of the strength of the ship’s
structure may be conveniently divided into three sections:

(1) Longitudinal strength;

(2) Transverse strength;
(3) Local strength.