Nian-Zhong Chen

Reliability analysis of a ship hull in composite material

Abstract A simple and effective analytical method for ultimate longitudinal strength calculation and reliability analysis of a ship’s hull in composite materials is presented. The ultimate strength formula of composite stiffened panel is derived from composite column theory. Deck and ship bottom structures are modelled as assemblies of stiffened panels. Then, progressive collapse analysis is applied to calculate the longitudinal ultimate strength of ship hull in composite materials. The response-surface method and the first order reliability method are combined to calculate the safety index and failure probability. Moreover, the sensitivity of each variable that has effect on the reliability is discussed.

Progressive Failure Analysis for Prediction of Post-buckling Compressive Strength of Laminated Composite Plates and Stiffened Panels

A progressive failure analysis for prediction of the post-buckling compressive strength of laminated composite plates and stiffened panels is presented. A non-linear finite element code with a new explicit through-thickness integration scheme is proposed for the prediction of the structural responses. A progressive failure analysis is then developed with use of the finite element code coupled with the Tsai—Wu criterion and a limited property degradation model to determine the post-buckling compressive strength of laminated composite plates and stiffened panels. The numerical accuracy and the computational efficiency of the progressive failure analysis were evaluated with reference to the available experimental data, the numerical results of several references, and the analysis with use of the traditional finite element model. A parametric study to investigate the effects of the stacking sequences and the lamina thickness on the post-buckling compressive strength of laminated composite plates and stiffened panels is performed.