Part III

Applications
Chapter 1
Hull Structure Arrangement

As explained in Chap. 1 of Part I the general arrangement of a ship is defined by

the strength of the ship and many kinds of socio-economic requirements. The per-
formance of the ship is closely related to the general arrangement. It used to be said
that a ship designed by a designer with no experience in hull structure design may
have deficiencies.
Hereunder we refer to the general arrangement from the viewpoint of hull struc-
ture design. In this design there are two main items, one of which is the tank arrange-
ment not having excess longitudinal hull girder bending moment, and the other is
the bulkhead arrangement, that is, the number of tanks or holds.
The former is well known and will be explained in Chap. 2 “Design of Longitu-
dinal Strength of Hull Girder”. The latter is not so widely known and is explained
here under as the hull structure arrangement.

1.1 Hold Arrangement

It has been a common view in the case of bulk carriers that a 5 holds arrangement
can be applied up to 70,000 DWT, 7 holds up to 150,000 DWT and 9 or 11 holds
for ships bigger than 150,000 DWT. Also there exists an opinion that a double hull
side construction will be applied for ships bigger than 150,000 DWT. The biggest
bulk carrier ever built is 250,000 DWT which has 9 holds and a single side hull
construction.
How to decide the bulkhead arrangement, that is, the number of holds is a very
important factor at the initial design stage but not yet clearly reported. Nowadays
the hull structure is designed by being analyzed as a whole structure by computer.
In this way the problem of how to decide the number of holds is submerged in the
computer calculation process.
The main loads applied on the hull structure are buoyancy and weight which are
forces in the vertical direction. Against these vertical loads, the vertical members
such as side shell plates, transverse bulkheads and longitudinal bulkheads form the
strength of hull structure. In other words it can be said that the strength of the hull
structure as a whole is maintained principally by the shearing strength of the side

M. Mano et al., Design of Ship Hull Structures, DOI 10.1007/978-3-540-88445-3 19, 353

c Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009
354 1 Hull Structure Arrangement

shell plates, transverse bulkheads and longitudinal bulkheads. Accordingly, for the
larger ships, to increase the number of transverse bulkheads as well as increasing
the thickness of side shell plates, transverse and longitudinal bulkheads plates are
desirable. Also to construct a double hull structure is considered to be very effective.
In 1960’s much damage was reported on the transverse rings in the wing tanks of
large tankers. This was caused by the relative displacement between the longitudinal
bulkhead and side shell plating due to the increased wing tank length. The swash
bulkhead in long wing tanks was designed only for reducing the sloshing motion of
free water surface in a tank and not for rigidity of the wing tank structure.
Figure 1.1.1 shows areas of buckling damage on a center line girder of one such
100,000 DWT tanker. In this case the center line girder was designed with the

Fig. 1.1.1 Example of damage caused by lack of shear rigidity of swash bulkhead
1.2 Criteria of Design of Hull Structure Arrangement 355

condition of being fixed at both ends by transverse bulkheads, one of which was
a watertight bulkhead and the other was a swash bulkhead which had insufficient
shear rigidity due to openings.
In the wing tank as well as in the center tank the strength members resisting
the vertical loads should have a rigid frame work, otherwise the design condition
(both ends fixed) of the primary supporting members will be faulty. By relaxing the
both-ends-fixed condition there arises additional stresses in the primary supporting
members which causes damage such as cracks and buckling.

1.2 Criteria of Design of Hull Structure Arrangement

1.2.1 Wing Tanks of Tankers

In the rule book of Nippon Kaiji Kyokai there was a regulation to limit the relative
displacement between longitudinal bulkhead and side shell plate as follows:
Special consideration is to be paid to wing tank construction when the S-value as
calculated by Eq. (1.2.1) exceeds 0.15.

h − 0.32d a
S= · ·l (1.2.1)
nb kb + ns ηs ks + nt ηt kt b

where
a: half breadth of center tank in m
b: breadth of wing tank in m
h: distance above top of keel to hatch opening top in center tank in m
d: full load draft in m
l: center tank length between tight bulkheads in m
nb , ns and nt : numbers of transverse bulkheads, swash bulkheads and transverse
rings in way of l respectively (in case of the ends of l, the number
is 1/2)
ηs and ηt : coefficients depending on the opening ratio of swash bulkheads as
shown in Table 1.2.1, for intermediate opening ratio coefficients de-
livered by interpolation
kb , ks and kt : values to be obtained by the following Eq. (1.2.2)
Dt
81.0 (t in mm) (1.2.2)
αb
t: in calculation of kb , mean thickness of the trans. bulkhead in the wing tank
in calculation of ks , mean thickness of the swash bulkhead in the wing tank
in calculation of kt , mean thickness of the trans. ring in the wing tank in mm
α: 1.0 for flat bulkheads and for the corrugated bulkhead the values of following
equations
356 1 Hull Structure Arrangement

girthlength(breadthwise)
in case of vertical corrugation α =
b
girthlength(depthwise)
in case of horizontal corrugation α =
D

Table 1.2.1 Coefficient ηs , ηt due to opening ratio

The numerator of Eq. (1.2.1) represents load W on the longitudinal bulkhead

in the center-tank side in the floating condition with a shallow draft of 0.32d and
with full ballast in the center tank. And the denominator represents shear rigidity of
wing tank construction which can be understood by the following deduction: 81.0
represents the shear modulus of steel in tonf/m · mm
 t ts 
b
(nb kb + ns ηs ks + nt ηt kt ) b = 81.0D nb + ns ηs + nt ηt kt (1.2.3)
α α
tb ts
Putting nb + ns ηs + nt ηt kt = ∑ t (1.2.4)
α α
∑ t represents shear effective plate thickness.
Collecting the details above from Eqs. (1.2.1), (1.2.2), (1.2.3) and (1.2.4), the
following Eq. (1.2.5) can be obtained.
W
S= ≤ 0.15 (1.2.5)
81.0 × D ∑ t
where W in tonf, D in m, t in mm and 81.0 in tonf/m·mm Accordingly S is non
dimensional.
Because W is the load on the longitudinal bulkhead and 81.0D ∑ t is the shear
rigidity of the wing tank construction, S is the shearing strain of the wing tank as
shown in Fig. 1.2.1.
Hereafter based on the above Nippon Kaiji Kyokai’s regulation, a criterion for
bulkhead arrangements of tankers is investigated.
Equation (1.2.5) can be modified to the following Eq. (1.2.6) assuming that the
shear rigidity of a transverse ring is 10% of the shear rigidity of an oil tight bulkhead.
W
+ ! ", ≤ 12.15 (1.2.6)
D tb + 0.1tb sl − 1

where s : spacing of transverse ring! √ "

Furthermore, assuming tb ≈ 0.7 3 D + 3.5 and h ≈ D, Eq. (1.2.6) can be sim-
plified into (1.2.7) as follows.

(D − 0.32d) al
! √ " ! " ≤ 12.15 (1.2.7)
D × 0.7 3 D + 3.5 × 0.9 + 0.1 sl
1.2 Criteria of Design of Hull Structure Arrangement 357

Fig. 1.2.1 Shearing

deformation of VLCĆS wing
tank

By applying (1.2.7), the limits of a and l which are the main factors in determin-
ing the bulkhead arrangement can be obtained based on the principal dimensions of
D and d.
For an example in Fig. 1.2.2 the limitation of length of the center tank for its half
breadth is shown for a 200,000 DWT tanker which has D = 26.3 m, d = 20.32 m
and s = 4.8 m. Actually this ship has a 48 m long center tank for a half breadth
of 9.4 m, whereas (1.2.7) gives a 39 m center tank length for 9.4 m of center
tank half breadth. From the viewpoint of shear deformation in the wing tank,
the design of the hull structure arrangement of this ship will not be sufficiently
strong.

Fig. 1.2.2 Limitation for

center tank size of VLCC
358 1 Hull Structure Arrangement

1.2.2 Bulkhead Arrangement of Bulk Carriers

Let’s apply the same principle of Sect. 1.2.1 to a bulk carrier. In the case of a bulk
carrier the holds have the same breadth as the ship’s breadth hence the hold length
provides the problem. Shear deformation on the transverse bulkhead is caused by
the vertical load on the transverse bulkhead. For the loading condition in question,
though the fully ballasted tank was considered in the ballast condition of tankers,
there are two severe conditions in the case of the bulk carriers. One is an empty hold
in the ballast condition and the other is a loaded hold in the fully loaded condition.
Here the former case is investigated, that is, an empty hold in the ballast condition.
Assuming a transverse bulkhead supports b/(b + l) of total load applied on
the double bottom, the vertical load on a transverse bulkhead W is expressed by
Eq. (1.2.8) as follows.
b
W= × 0.32d × b × l (1.2.8)
b+l
where
b: breadth of double bottom in m
l: length of hold in m
d: full load draft in m
Assuming the shear rigidity of a double bottom floor is 1% that of the transverse
bulkhead, total shear rigidity G of a transverse bulkhead and floors is expressed by
the following Eq. (1.2.9).
 

tb l
G = 81.0D + 0.01 × tb −1 (1.2.9)
α s

where
D: depth of ship in m
tb : mean thickness of bulkhead in mm
α: correction factor for corrugated bulkhead see 1.2.1
l: length of hold in m
s: floor space in m
Modeling these as shown in Fig. 1.2.3, the shearing strain S in the transverse
bulkhead is expressed by Eq. (1.2.10).
W
S= (1.2.10)
2G
! √ "
Furthermore assuming b = 0.7B, α = 1.8 and tb = 0.7 3 D + 3.5 , Eq. (1.2.11)
can be derived from Eqs. (1.2.8), (1.2.9) and (1.2.10) as follows.

B2 dl
S= ! √ "! " (1.2.11)
722D (0.7B + l) 3 D + 3.5 0.55 + 0.01 sl
1.3 Bulkhead Arrangement Beyond Cargo Hold 359

Fig. 1.2.3 Shearing

deformation model of bulk
carrier transverse bulkhead

In the case of a wing tank of a tanker, we imposed the limitation of S ≤ 0.15

referring to Nippon Kaiji Kyokai’s regulation, but in the case of bulk carriers we
have no such reference. In such cases it is reasonable to refer to data of ships in
service.
We calculated S values for two ships in service without any trouble. One is a
30,000 DWT ship with 5 holds and another is a 130,000 DWT with 9 holds. The S
values are 0.051 and 0.064 respectively, and we selected S = 0.07 as a criterion.
In the case of a 250,000 DWT bulk carrier, S values are 0.104 with 9 holds and
0.096 with 11 holds. It is recommended to have a stiffened flat plate or double hull
transverse bulkhead instead of the current corrugated bulkhead.

1.3 Bulkhead Arrangement Beyond Cargo Hold

For large ships not only the structural arrangement in the vicinity of the cargo hold
or tank but also the structure arrangement beyond cargo holds or tanks, such as bow
and engine room construction, is important. In the vicinity of cargo tanks of a tanker,
the side shell, longitudinal and transverse bulkheads provide the strength of the ship
as a whole. However at both ends of the tank part, to keep the strength continuity
is difficult due to the absence of longitudinal bulkheads, hence a special attention
should be paid.
360 1 Hull Structure Arrangement

1.3.1 Bow Construction Without Extended Longitudinal

Bulkheads

There are usually two rows of longitudinal bulkheads in way of the cargo tanks of
a tanker. Also forward of the collision bulkhead is usually the fore peak tank where
no longitudinal bulkhead is necessary. In the case of a wide fore peak tank a center
line swash bulkhead will be installed to avoid sloshing motion of the ballast water.
The volume of the fore peak tank will be quite considerable for large ships es-
pecially for a broad beam ship with a bulbous bow. The big volume of the fore
peak tank causes great buoyancy in the fully loaded condition and a big load in the
ballasted condition, while the fore peak tank is supported by the shear area of the
side shell plate and the transverse bulkhead plate. In Fig. 1.3.1 volumes of fore peak
tanks are plotted for the ship’s depth. Assuming the volume V of the fore peak tank
is proportional to the cube of the ship’s depth D, Eq. (1.3.12) can be obtained as
follows.
V = 0.4D3 (1.3.12)

Fig. 1.3.1 Fore peak tank

volume vs. depth of vessel

The shearing force caused by the volume V of the fore peak tank is supported
easily in the aft part of the collision bulkhead by side shell plates and longitudinal
bulkhead plates. However in the vicinity of the fore peak tank in some case it is
hard for side shell plates to support the shearing force. In such cases a center line
longitudinal bulkhead is to be fitted.

1.3.2 Engine Room Construction Without Extended Longitudinal

Bulkheads

Usually the two rows of longitudinal bulkheads in the cargo tank space are to be ex-
tended into the engine room as fuel oil tank bulkheads. But in the case of three rows
1.3 Bulkhead Arrangement Beyond Cargo Hold 361

of longitudinal bulkheads in the cargo tank the center line longitudinal bulkhead is
not able to be extended into the engine room. The shearing force supported by the
center line longitudinal bulkhead is transmitted to side shell and side longitudinal
bulkhead plates in the vicinity of engine room via the transverse bulkhead at the aft
end of the cargo tank space.
To investigate the transmission of the shearing force a FEM calculation was car-
ried out with a model as shown in Fig. 1.3.2. The results are shown in Fig. 1.3.3.
The ship was a 600,000 DWT tanker of a trial design and has three rows of lon-
gitudinal bulkheads in the cargo tank space. The center line longitudinal bulkhead
is extended aft to Fr.66 and two side longitudinal bulkheads are extended into the
engine room. The model in Fig. 1.3.2 is fixed at Fr.71 and a uniform load of 10,000
tf is applied on half the breadth of the upper deck at Fr.28. The shearing stresses
in the side shell, side and center line longitudinal bulkheads plates are calculated,
then shearing forces are obtained by multiplying plate thickness by the calculated
stresses. In Fig. 1.3.3 the supporting ratio of each member is shown.

Fig. 1.3.2 Structural model of engine room fore part and cargo hold aft part

Fig. 1.3.3 Share of shearing force for each member

362 1 Hull Structure Arrangement

From considerably forward of Fr.67, i.e. the aft end bulkhead of the aftermost
tank, the shearing force supporting ratio of the longitudinal bulkheads decreases,
on the contrary the shearing force supporting ratio of the side shell plates increases.
The shearing force supporting ratio of the side longitudinal bulkheads also decreases
from considerably forward of Fr.67, i.e. the aft end bulkhead of the tank part, which
may be caused by reduced sectional area due to hull form.
Careful attention should be paid to avoid having troublesome deformation in the
engine room structure caused by large buoyancy forces in the fully loaded condition,
because there are many items such as main engine and main shafting for which
alignment is very important. To avoid such troublesome deformation in the engine
room structure, an effective bulkhead arrangement will be necessary.