Marine Log - July 2008 - (Page 36)

TechTalk BY KEVIN CORBLEY July 2008 Vol. 113 No. 7 New FE methodology could reduce downtime for ships In “The Project,” the first part of this series, Corbley talked about Martec’s research into the development of a new finite element methodology for quickly assessing vessel damage at sea for the Canadian Navy. “Project” appears in the June 2008 issue. artec selected the SmartMarine enterprise solution from Intergraph’s Process, Power & Marine Division to interface with its FE analysis suite. Previously known as IntelliShip, this software solution was developed by Intergraph for use in the conceptual design, engineering, materials procurement, parts manufacturing and construction of a vessel or offshore structure. This package had been created with life-cycle optimization in mind. In addition to the fact that the Intergraph solution is deployed commercially at shipyards around the world, the package appealed to Martec and suited the company’s needs in several ways. Most important was the architecture of the 3D modeling software, which provided an open programmer interface where simple scripts could be written to plug in the FE analysis tools. This allows the Martec software to select and export large amounts of data directly from the global model. On top of that the ease of use allowed faster creation of the required 3D models. “Our tools extract structural geometry and related information from the global model in an intelligent fashion and Second of a two-part series “The Results” manipulate the data to generate a more rational finite element model,” said Martec’s Michael Lichodzijewski. This is a critical advantage for FE modeling because the global 3D model contains not only the geometry of the ship’s structural elements, but the database includes a wealth of information relating to the individual pieces. For example, the 3D model reveals that a specific plate is connected to a stiffener, and the accompanying database describes the materials of each part along with rules dictating how they are correctly connected to one another and to surrounding elements. This database information, sometimes referred to as semantics, describes the attributes and relationship of every structural element in the ship. The value of such exhaustive information, according to Dr. Mark Riley of Defence Research and Development Canada, is the geometric model “can be used for seven or eight different types of analysis.” Just as importantly, the richness of connectivity detail in the SmartMarine database enables FE analysis to be performed at both the macro and micro level. Specifically, engineers can extract coarse and detailed structural informa- M tion from the 3D model to simulate localized damage. Brennan added that another benefit of integrating FE analysis tools with a commercial design package like SmartMarine is that 3D models can be generated from as-built drawings and other records for ships already in service. As part of the research project, Martec engineers used the Intergraph software to create a global 3D model of a Kingston Class naval vessel. This process took about one third the amount of time required to make a similar model from scratch using customized tools during the early phase of the research. GOING OPERATIONAL Even though the initial research has been completed, Martec has continued with plans to introduce FE analysis services utilizing global 3D geometric data extracted from SmartMarine models. To date, the firm has successfully applied this new methodology for analysis of corrosion, cathodic protection, stress, and hydrodynamics of commercial and military vessels. Intergraph’s Veldhuizen predicts the long-term effect of this less expensive method of structural analysis will ultimately assist vessel owners in keeping their ships in the water longer with less downtime and safer operations. It may even extend the operational lives of ships through more effective maintenance. 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Marine Log - July 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Coastal Shipping Communications Paints & Coatings WISTA’s Jeanne Grasso Showcase Newsmakers Tech News Contracts Events Website Directory ML Buyer's Guide ML Marketplace Tech Talk Gulf Coast Headliner

Marine Log - July 2008

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