Alternative hybrid lightweight ship hull structural design

One of the main challenges for the maritime industry is the integration of new materials and technologies to ship design and shipbuilding processes. In the present work, aluminium honeycomb sandwich is used to replace the steel plates of the inner side shell of the cargo hold of a bulk carrier creating a hybrid structure, to enhance the ship’s reliability, cost, and efficiency. The aim was to quantify the whole benefits of a hybrid ship hull structural design, which integrates aluminium honeycomb sandwich in the inner side shell structure. The structural design is approached as a multi-objective optimization problem, aimed at fulfilling specific structural constraints. Such a design solution is based on the minimum lightship weight, minimum transportation cost and maximum annual cargo income and ultimate strength. A comparative analysis is carried out between the hybrid and the traditional steel design approaches to evaluate the advantages of the proposed innovative solution.