Light-weight Optimum Design of Laminate Structures of a GFRP Fishing Vessel

Abstract

Approximately 90,000 ships are registered in South Korea, and about 80,000 of these ships are used in domestic shipping. Among these, 84% are small ships, such as a fishing vessels that weigh less than 20 tons and are made mostly of an FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics). When this fact is taken into account, the greenhouse gas emissions that are released per ton of a composite vessel are sizeable. In this study, the laminated structures of an FRP fishing vessel, many of which currently are being built in Korea, were analyzed by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and international design rules, and the structures of the hulls are lightweight with optimum glass fiber mass content as determined by the laminate weight minimization algorithm. As a result, it was confirmed that the laminations of the vessels in accordance with the Korean rule could have 6.4% to approximately 11% more design margin compared to the requirements of ISO and other international rules. And the case study of the application of the laminate weight minimization algorithm showed the possibility of reducing the weight of the hull bottom plating by as much as about 19.32% and by as much as about 18.06% in the overall structure.

Keywords

• fishing vessel
• lightweight design
• ship design
• composite material
• gfrp