Parametric Design and Optimization of Steel Car Deck Panel Structures

Abstract

Stiffened panels play a significant role in marine industry because of their high strengthweight ratio, they account for a significant amount of a vessel’s weight. Hence, weight optimization of these structures can reduce the material costs and to a great extent increase the cargo capacity of a vessel. This thesis looks into the performance of three steel car deck panels with respect to their weights for a Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC). The focus is on the structural arrangement rather than a comparison of steel and alternative materials, since lightweight materials are still not economically viable for these types of ships. Two of the car deck panels have conventional structural arrangement stiffened with longitudinal and transverse stiffeners while the third one uses diagonally positioned beams. In order to carry out a consistent comparison, the car deck panels are optimized by means of finite element analysis and parametric sensitivity analysis. The panels are modelled with linear elastic materials and a global strength analysis is made with a uniformly distributed load. Results prove the accuracy of the way that an older car deck panel (Concept B) had been developed over time, resulting in the car deck panel currently in use (Concept A). Results also show that the current car deck panel structure could be developed further by utilizing the optimization techniques, reducing their weight by up to 6%.