Investigation on the initial structural design of Ultra Large Container Ships

HHI has developed an Ultra Large Container Ship (ULCS), capable of carrying 13,000 TEU. Strength analysis is required in order to assess the global strength behavior of the ship, especially for the torsional response of the hull girder, Feasibility study with the numerical model of the whole ship model is performed, which helps the designer select the best design alternatives for a optimized hull structures. The investigation includes the change of main dimensions, the location of deckhouse and the arrangement of fore ship structure. Hull girder loadings such as bending and torsional moments induced by wave loads are applied, which are realized by distributed nodal forces on the nodes of the outer shell of the ship. Totally 12 design load cases are considered according to the GL guidelines. The evaluation covers the overall deformations of hull girder, hatch diagonal deformations and Mess concentrations at the hatch corners. The final design is verified by a direct load analysis and strength calculations.