PrimeShip-HULL

Lifetime Ship Care

A Revolutionary New Way to Conduct
Advanced Ship Strength Structural Assessments

PrimeShip-HULL Guidelines for tankers, bulk carriers and

container ships cover:

—Guidelines for Direct Strength Analysis

—Guidelines for Fatigue Strength Assessment

—Guidelines for Hull Girder Torsional Strength Assessment

(only for container ships)

—Guidelines for Ultimate Hull Girder Strength Assessment

PrimeShip-HULL
A Breakthrough
in Class Rule
Development
In its role as a leading global ship classification society, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai
(ClassNK) is working to bring greater transparency to class rules and their development.

Its integrated systems and services for hull strength assessment, part of the PrimeShip
suite of products and services, contribute to a comprehensive strategy for enhancing
safety throughout the lifetime of ships.

In late 2001, ClassNK unveiled its guidelines on the structural strength of tankers, the
latest addition to PrimeShip-HULL, its sophisticated hull structural strength assessment
service, including the world’s first clearly defined design state conditions. In 2002,
ClassNK released similar guidelines for bulk carriers and in 2003 for container ships.

The revolutionary PrimeShip-HULL service provides clearly defined design loads for the
first time, as well as introducing a host of other world-class features. Those who use the
service receive PS-DA and PS-FA class notations, indicating compliance with the new
design standards.

PrimeShip-HULL Guidelines for tankers, bulk carriers and container ships cover:
･Guidelines for Direct Strength Analysis
･Guidelines for Fatigue Strength Assessment
･Guidelines for Hull Girder Torsional Strength Assessment (only for container ships)
･Guidelines for Ultimate Hull Girder Strength Assessment

A New Era in Transparency and Consistency

With PrimeShip-HULL, ClassNK has cracked open the black box of design loads,
allowing a giant leap forward in ship design and safety. ClassNK confirmed both by
analyses and many model tests the four predominant sea states - head sea, following
sea and two different beam seas - and developed simplified formulas for use in
PrimeShip-HULL.

Built into the cutting-edge software are load-generating and corrosion margin setting
functions, as well as compatibility with other CAD and CAE systems. This simplifies
structural evaluation for designers and eases class approval.
PrimeShip-HULL Advantages:
■ Highly transparent design loads
■ Accurate and reliable fatigue strength assessment
■ Optimal corrosion margins
■ Efficient design support system

Extensive Validation by Analysis and Testing

Structural analysis

Torsional
strength
analysis

Model test Ship motion analysis

Tanker Hull Deformation

Head sea Following sea Beam sea (Long wave) Beam sea (Short wave)

Tanker Design Loads

Head sea Following sea Beam sea (Long wave) Beam sea (Short wave)
Enhanced fatigue strength assessment
Covering both primary and secondary members, this
incorporates the results of extensive damage data analysis and
provides assessments for extended life.
Bilge hopper
knuckle
Side longitudinal
Class Notations
ClassNK’s Advanced Ship Strength
Structural Assessment employs new
standards to assign class notations to all
ships that undergo the service. The class
notations consist of PS-DA, which direct
ly assesses the ship’s torsional strength
(only for container ships), yield strength
and buckling strength, and PS-FA, which
assesses fatigue strength.

Bottom longitudinal
and slot hole
PrimeShip-HULL
• Extensive Fatigue Strength Assessment Hull Structural Strength Assessment Service

Structural Strength
Assessment
Optimal corrosion margins Standards Assessment
Tool
Development of a new, three-stage corrosion simulation model
enabled probabilistic analysis of massive amounts of data,
leading to more accurate, true-to-life corrosion
margins over the ship’s lifetime thus
minimizing maintenance costs. Class Notations
■PS-DA: PrimeShip-Direct Assessment
[Torsional Strength (container ships),
Yielding and Buckling Assessment]
■PS-FA: PrimeShip-Fatigue Assessment
(Fatigue Strength Assessment)

For more information,

please visit our Web site:
www.classnk.or.jp

• Corrosion Growth Model

Or contact the following:
ClassNK Business Department
e-mail: bnd@classnk.or.jp
Better balance of scantlings Tel: +81-3-5226-2040
Fax: +81-3-5226-2039
The practical evaluation of design loads now enables effective
redistribution of scantlings, and thus makes ships safer.

ClassNK Nippon Kaiji Kyokai

4-7 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-8567, Japan