In-depth | COMPOS TITES
FEATURE HEME S-LASS brings findings to the table
Te S-LASS network helps Swedish industry to build lightweight ferries. Dr Tommy Hertzberg, head of section, SP Fire Technology, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden explains recent developments of the project.
S the
P Technical Research Institute of Sweden, department for Fire Technology, is coordinating Swedish network S-LASS for
lightweight structures at sea. The network brings together expertise, disseminates knowledge and initiates projects. During the past year the network has held the management of
several vessel projects, arranged
a course on how to design ships in lightweight materials and participated at the Donsö fair. Between 2005 and 2008, the Swedish
national research project LASS (“Lightweight construction applications at sea”) gathered almost 30 Swedish and international industries in a study concerning the use of lightweight materials for ship structures. By demonstrating a sufficient level of fire safety, lightweight materials excluded in the prescriptive SOLAS code are allowed through SOLAS Regulation 17: “Alternative design and arrangements”, which can bring large economic and ecological advantages , says Hertzberg. Between
2008 and 2010, part
of the previous LASS consortium together with the Meyer-Werft ship yard continued the lightweight ship investigation in “LASS-c”; a study concerning use of lightweight structure materials in a cruise vessel. Also this project demonstrated large economic benefits through the use of lightweight materials for ship construction. The growing interest in lightweight for
material s shipbuilding i s
also demonstrated in European projects such as the ongoing BESST, “Breakthrough in European Ship and Shipbuilding Technologies” where the study initiated in LASS-c on the cruise vessel Norwegian Gem, has continued. “Many people from Swedish industry,
research and national authorities were involved in the projects mentioned
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earlier and in order to continue the work and to keep the group of competences in contact the Swedish network for lightweight structures at sea, S-LASS was created in 2010”, comments Hertzberg. Today, the network gathers organisations from industry, research, class and national authorities .
“The outspoken purpose of S-LASS
Figure 1: Norwegian Gem used as composite material design case in the
is to support its members in their work on lightweight structures through the dissemination of information, courses and initiation of projects. The network also monitors regulations (IMO, EU, national) concerning ship design and contributes proposals that can be helpful when drafting new regulations. As an example several members participated in the preparation of a Swedish response to the UK proposal put forth at the 2011 IMO meeting FP55, concerning how to include lightweight composite materials in SOLAS vessels ”, says Hertzberg. By initiating projects, the network
Figure 2: The object for the tanker study. Courtesy of Sirius Rederi AB.
in particular wish to provide good examples of using lightweight materials in ships. This includes not only major load carrying structures but also other areas on a ship, such as the materials used for interior design, i.e. the general idea is to investigate and to present parts of a vessel that can be made more lightweight.
Tank Light Module A project carried out under S-LÄSS is “TankLightModule”,
in
Figure 3: Tanker with composite super structure. Designed by Tillberg Design AB, member of S-LASS.
materials. The work
which
has investigated the feasibility of constructing the superstructure of a 9200dwt tanker
lightweight group produced an
alternative design of a superstructure from plastic composites, together with a calculation of the expected payback time. Depending on oil revenues per kg,
the payback time was estimated
to be approximately 5-7 years for a lightweight superstructure saving about 100tonnes, or over 50% of the weight of a steel structure. The project also performed an investigation comparing lightweight internal fittings with existing designs,
finding that
about 30tonnes could be saved for a The Naval Architect May 2012
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