Response of an Aluminum Stiffened Plate Under Extreme Slamming Loadings1

Abstract

The slamming phenomenon often occurs when the bottom of a ship hits the seawater with a relatively high velocity in irregular waves. In extreme sea conditions, the slam-induced dynamic loads can be quite large resulting in local structural damages and/or global deformation of the panels, in particular when ships face head sea waves with high forward speed. In this respect, high-speed vessels are affected by the slamming phenomenon as they are built with thin steel plates or aluminum. The paper presents finite element simulations performed with the explicit ls-dyna solver of an aluminum stiffened plate subjected to extreme slamming loadings so as to evaluate the large plastic deformation and failure of the stiffened plate and the effect of the heat affected zone (HAZ) due to the welding using the mechanical properties of an aluminum alloy grade 5083-H116. The outcomes of this study identify the parameters that have importance when estimating the extent of structural deformation due to slamming loads.