The Structure Strength Calculation Of Catamaran

The catamaran, a relatively new type of ship, has many advantages in larger deck area, better stability, smaller resistance and shorter rolling cycle over traditional monohull. With the application of aluminium alloy in the construction process, catamaran achieves light weight, good anticorrosion ability and easy machining. Therefore the application of aluminium alloy catamarans is booming in our nowaday life.Because of catamaran’s structural characteristics and the low yield strength of aluminium alloy, the structure strength of aluminium alloy catamaran, especially the strength of cross structure, becomes more prominent. Rules calculation and direct claculation are two methods available to compute the structure strength. This article combines the two methods to calculate the structure strength of a aluminium alloy catamaran.Firstly, the design pressure and components size including the plate thickness t, the section modulus W of stiffeners and girds and the shear area Aemin are calculated according to the rules requirements and empirical formulas. The results are checked and analysised while the rules’differentias are compared. Then the FEM software ANSYS is used to finish the establish of computation module, the exertion of overall external loads and boundary conditions, and the strength calculation of cross structure. Finally, the gravity and buoyance are imposed on the whole ship structure, therefore, the body strength at still water would be carried out. This essay’s claculation method provides a reference for the similar work in the future.