Professor Jonas Ringsberg

Division of Marine Design

Department of Shipping and Marine Technology
CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SWEDEN

Marine Structural Engineering (MMA167, 7.5hp)

Course Information
(OUTSIDE Chalmers: use a VPN tunnel) Web page: http://129.16.218.54/MSE/

ORGANISATION OF THE COURSE: EXAMINER AND TEACHERS

The course is given by the Division of Marine Design at the Department of Shipping and Marine
Technology on Chalmers Campus Lindholmen.

• Examiner: Professor Jonas Ringsberg

Phone: 031–772 1489
E-mail: Jonas.Ringsberg@chalmers.se
• Lectures: Professor Jonas Ringsberg
Phone: 031–772 1489
E-mail: Jonas.Ringsberg@chalmers.se
• Tutorias: PhD Per Hogström
Phone: 031–772 1478
E-mail: Per.Hogstrom@chalmers.se

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE WITH THE COURSE

The purpose of the course is to give professional knowledge of design loads, structural
characteristics of marine structures (with emphasis on ship structures) and how to carry out analysis
of their strength. Limit state design methodologies are taught to demonstrate how to make safe
designs and analyses of lightweight stiffened shell structures that are typical of ships and offshore
structures. The theory is general while the application is on ship and offshore structures. Examples
of fatigue design principles are discussed continuously during the course together with some
examples.

LEARNING OUTCOME (after completion of the course, the student should be able to):
After finishing the course, the student will have professional knowledge in marine structural
engineering and how to make safe designs of marine structures. The student will have professional
competence to systematically solve general problems which concerns the structural integrity of
structures, in particular stiffened lightweight shell structures. After completion of this course, the
student should be able to:

• identify and discuss which loads a marine structure is subjected to,

• use and interpret classification rules in order to design lightweight structures according to given
design criteria,
• carry out full strength analyses (by means of limit state design criteria) of ship and offshore
structures,

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• understand and discuss the meaning of the effective flange concept,
• identify and discuss the functionality of the structural elements in a ship structure, both from a
global and local perspective,
• understand the functionality and suggest modifications of a ship or offshore design in order fulfil
design criteria,
• carry out a structure stability and buckling analysis of a stiffened thin-walled lightweight
structure, and
• critically evaluate and compare various design concepts with respect to material, geometry and
structural aspects.

CONTENTS OF THE COURSE

The course is divided into four parts: design rules and aspects of marine structural engineering,
engineering beam theory applied on marine structure designs, the effective flange concept, and
structural stability of beams and stiffened shell structures. Examples of fatigue design principles are
discussed continuously during the course together with some examples.

• Design rules and aspects of marine structural engineering:

o Examples and categorization of various types of marine structure designs.
o Identification and categorization of loads that act on marine structures, such as wind, wave
and impact loads.
o Study of design rules according to classification societies.
o Limit states designs.
• Engineering beam theory applied on marine structure designs:
o Normal stresses/strains due to axial loading conditions.
o Normal stresses/strains due to bending (Bernoulli’s hypothesis, Navier’s theory).
o Normal stresses/strains due to torsion (Vlasov theory).
o Shear stresses/strains due to bending.
o Shear stresses/strains due to torsion (Saint-Venant, Vlasov and mixed torsion theory).
• The effective flange concept:
o Objective with the concept and motivation to why it must be considered.
o Calculations using the “summation method”.
o Calculations using the “elementary case method”.
• Structural stability of beams and stiffened shell structures:
o Introduction to ultimate strength analysis.
o Overview of methods useful for structural stability analysis.
o Structural stability of beam structures (Euler theory, geometric imperfections, influence
from lateral loads, etc).
o Analysis of large-scale realistic stiffened shell structures with regard to their stability
characteristics and progressive collapse.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE TO FOLLOW THE COURSE

Mathematics (including mathematical statistics, numerical analysis and multi-variable calculus),
mechanics and strength of materials and engineering materials.

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COURSE LITERATURE
The course literature is a theory compendium which can be bought at “KOKBOKEN” at Chalmers
Campus Lindholmen. A tutorial compendium and a selection of old exams will be distributed on the
first tutorial (free of charge). Additional material will be handed out when necessary.

ASSIGNMENTS
There are three (3) mandatory assignments in the course:

1. Structural arrangement of a typical ship (Literature survey).

2. Numerical general stress analysis of a beam girder (MATLAB calculations).
3. Stress and buckling analysis of stiffened plate structure (MATLAB calculations).

EXAMINATION
The written examination takes place December 20, 14.00-18.00, 2012.

• The student is allowed to bring the theory compendium to the exam. Some minor notes in the
compendium are allowed, however, additional papers with notes are NOT allowed.
• Any electronically calculator is allowed.
• The written exam consists of a theory part (10 points) and four problems to be solved (10 points
each). Hence, the maximum number of points on the exam is 50 points.
• A total of 20 points is required to pass the examination and the course. Note: at least 4 points
must be gained on the theory part in order to pass the examination and the course.
• Approved assignments and a passed written examination and gives 7.5hp.
• The different grades given are (sum of points on the exam: grade):
0 – 19: Fail; 20 – 29: 3; 30 – 39: 4; 40 – 50: 5
• Extra points on the written exam can be earned during the course. These points may give the
student a possibility to get a higher grade given that the student has already passed the written
exam. These extra points are only valid on the ordinary exam in December, 2012.
At the end of study week 3 a short test on the Part A of the course, engineering beam theory,
will be offered. Students who pass this test can earn 3 bonus points.

COURSE SCHEDULE
Lectures give theory with reference to chapters in the compendium, while tutorials refer to the
example compendium “Marine Structural Engineering - Tutorials”. Recommended homework
exercises are all problems in the example compendium that have not been solved during the
tutorials. Assignments will supervised on the teachers’ offices; please make an appointment by e-
mail.

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Week 44, 2012: study week 1
Introduction to the course.
Lecture 1 Tue 30/10 Jupiter 218 08.15-10.00 JR Introduction
IACS hull terms and hull survey terms.
Overview of structural arrangements.
Lecture 2 Tue 30/10 Jupiter 218 10.15-12.00 JR The hull girder concept and load distributions. Handouts
Introduction to Assignment 1.
Strength of ships and structural loads.
Lecture 3 Wed 31/10 Svea 241 08.15-10.00 JR Handouts
Classification rules, why and how …
Lecture 4 Fri 2/11 Svea 240 08.15-10.00 JR Bending: normal stresses. Part A: chapter 1-3
Tutorial Fri 2/11 Svea 240 10.15-12.00 PH Bending: normal stresses. Part A: 1.1 - 1.3, 1.12
Week 45, 2012: study week 2
Lecture 5 Tue 6/11 Jupiter 218 08.15-10.00 JR Bending: shear stresses. Part A: chapter 3
Tutorial Tue 6/11 Jupiter 218 10.15-12.00 PH Bending: shear stresses. Part A: 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 - 1.8, 1.10
Repetition: bending-induced stresses.
Lecture 6 Wed 7/11 Svea 241 08.15-10.00 JR Part A: chapter 4
Torsion: St Venant theory.
Tutorial Fri 9/11 Svea 240 08.15-10.00 PH Torsion: St Venant theory. Part A: 1.10, 2.1, 2.4
Lecture 7 Fri 9/11 Svea 240 10.15-12.00 JR Torsion: Vlasov theory, mixed torsion. Part A: chapter 5
Week 46, 2012: study week 3
Tutorial Tue 13/11 Jupiter 218 08.15-10.00 PH Torsion: Vlasov theory. Part A: 2.2, 2.3
Lecture 8 Tue 13/11 Jupiter 218 10.15-12.00 JR Torsion: Vlasov theory, mixed torsion. Part A: chapter 5
Tutorial Wed 14/11 Svea 241 08.15-10.00 PH Torsion: Vlasov theory, mixed torsion. Part A: 2.7, 2.8
Repetition: torsion theory.
Lecture 9 Fri 16/11 Svea 240 08.15-10.00 JR Deadline – Assignment 1
Introduction to Assignment 2.
TEST Fri 16/11 Svea 240 10.15-12.00 JR Half-time knowledge test. -
Week 47, 2012: study week 4
Lecture 10 Tue 20/11 Jupiter 218 08.15-10.00 JR Ultimate strength of ship structures. Handouts
Lecture 11 Tue 20/11 Jupiter 218 10.15-12.00 JR Effective flange: summation method. Part B: chapter 1 and 2, Appendix B
Lecture 12 Wed 21/11 Svea 221 08.15-10.00 JR Effective flange: elementary case method. Part B: chapter 2, Appendix B
Effective flange: elementary case method and
Lecture 13 Fri 23/11 Svea 221 08.15-10.00 JR Part B: chapter 2, Appendix B
unsymmetric flanges.
Part B: Problems 1 and 3
Tutorial Fri 23/11 Svea 221 10.15-12.00 PH Effective flange.
Homework: problem 2
Week 48, 2012: study week 5
STUDY VISIT Mon 26/11 ACL 13.00-17.00 JR Study visit on ACL RoRo/Container vessel -
Part B: Problem 4 (4 partly homework), read
Tutorial Wed 28/11 Svea 241 08.15-10.00 PH Effective flange.
chapter 3-5 and 9 in Part B.
Buckling of beams: lateral buckling, tripping,
Lecture 14 Thu 29/11 Svea 241 08.15-10.00 JR Perry-Robertsson formula, ultimate strength of Part B: chapter 3,4 and 9
beams.
Buckling of beams: ultimate strength of beams,
Lecture 15 Thu 29/11 Svea 241 10.15-12.00 JR Part B: chapter 4, 5 and 9
torsional buckling.
Part B: Problems 5, 9-11 (follow up problem 4)
Tutorial Fri 30/11 Svea 240 08.15-10.00 PH Buckling of beams.
Homework: problems 6-8
Buckling of plates: ship structures, introduction
Part B: chapter 6 and 7
Lecture 16 Fri 30/11 Svea 240 10.15-12.00 JR to stiffened panels.
Deadline – Assignment 2
Introduction to Assignment 3.
Week 49, 2012: study week 6
Buckling of plates and stiffened panels, arbitrary
Lecture 17 Tue 4/12 Jupiter 218 08.15-10.00 JR Part B: chapter 7, 8 and 10
restrained boundary conditions.
Part B: Problem 12 (follow up problems 6-8)
Tutorial Tue 4/12 Jupiter 218 10.15-12.00 PH Buckling of plates.
Homework: problem 13
Part B: Problems 13 and 14
Tutorial Wed 5/12 Svea 241 08.15-10.00 PH Buckling of stiffened panels.
Homework: problem 15
Part B: Problems 13 and 14
Tutorial Fri 7/12 Svea 240 08.15-10.00 PH Buckling of stiffened panels.
Homework: problem 15
Lecture 18 Fri 7/12 Svea 240 10.15-12.00 JR Repetition of the course. Handouts: example of typical exam problems
Week 50, 2012: study week 7
Tutorial Tue 11/12 Jupiter 218 08.15-10.00 PH Training in solving exam problems.
Tutorial Tue 11/12 Jupiter 218 10.15-12.00 PH Training in solving exam problems.
Time for consultation, send e-mail to PH (or JR)
Consultation Wed 12/12 (Svea 241) 08.15-10.00 PH Deadline – Assignment 3
to make an appointment.
Week 51, 2012: exam week
EXAMINATION Thu 20/12 - 14.00-18.00 Chalmers Campus Lindholmen