New materials for ships - carbon fibre, glass fibre and aluminium
A major step forward in materials science means that it is now technically possible to construct ships for national and international traffic in carbon or glass fibre, while meeting classification societies' safety requirements. This, together with new design approaches for the use of aluminium in vessels, is the result of a research project that has attracted widespread international interest, coordinated by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden.Over the last three years, scientists from SP and 29 companies and organisations have been involved in the SEK 24 million Vinnova-sponsored LÄSS (Lightweight Structures at Sea) project. The work has also resulted in two commercial ship-building projects.
Fire safety is the major challenge
– The main challenge has been to demonstrate how ships can be built using lightweight materials without compromising with fire safety, says Tommy Hertzberg, project manager and fire research scientist with SP.
As far as the construction technologies and methods are concerned, ship-builders have known how to build ships from materials such as fibre composites for several years, as illustrated, for example, by Sweden's Visby-class corvette, built by Kockums. Together, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration(FMV), and the Swedish shipbuilding industry are world leaders in the construction of composite vessels. At the same time, the country possesses a high level of material expertise, as exemplified by DIAB (composite) and SAPA (aluminium), in the production of specialist materials. All these groups have been working on the LÄSS project, bringing to it a unique collection of skills and knowledge.
Lightweight materials good for the environment and for costs
There are many benefits from building in lightweight materials. Many modern ships require ballast for stability reasons. If, however, the superstructure is constructed from lightweight materials, there is less need for ballast, i.e. dead load can be replaced by pay load which is evidently highly profitable. In addition, the rising price of oil, coupled with increasingly stringent environmental requirements, means that all ways of reducing fuel consumption are of interest. Lightweight materials also brings other advantages, e.g. a reduced need for maintenance (plastic materials do not rust) and an increased life length of the vessel.
The results of this work will be presented at a conference at Grand Hotel in Borås on Wednesday 31st October. The project has attracted widespread international interest, and over 140 delegates from about a dozen countries have notified their intention to attend.
The press is also welcome to attend. For further information, and to register your intention to attend, please contact Tommy Hertzberg on +46 10 516 50 46, or by e-mail at tommy.hertzberg@sp.se
You can read more about the project at www.lass.nu