Ship Structure Committee

It Happened on My Watch; a

Retrospective of the SSC

An Interagency Research and Development Committee for

Safer Ship Structures

Foundation

In the early 1940’s, twenty eight merchant ships had suffered critical structural casualties. Two had broken in two pieces, and four had suffered complete fractures of the strength deck.

Foundation

The Board consisted of US Coast Guard, US Navy Bureau of Ships, US Maritime Commission, and American Bureau of Shipping. The final report of the Board was dated 15 July 146, and included studies of 132 major structural ship casualties.

Creation

The final recommendation of the Board was as follows: “Finally it is recommended that an organization be established to formulate and coordinate research in matters pertaining to ship structure in the same manner as has been the practice during the tenure of the Board.”

Creation

Accordingly on 25 July 1946, the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. E.H. Foley, Jr. established the Ship Structure Committee, with the same general membership as that of the original Board. Lead by a Coast Guard Commander

Mission

To enhance the performance of ship structures and the safety of life at sea, promote technology and educational advancements in marine transportation and protect the marine environment through research and development projects.

1946

2006

1956

1966

1976

1986

1996

50th Anniversary

Life cycle risk management

60th Anniversary

Aluminum structure

Ballast water treatment structural damage

Failure of Liberty Ships

Mechanical, chemical, & physical metallurgygeometry of structural members

Catamaransdynamically supported vesselscryogenic product full transverse fracture

Fatigue failure in new high strength steel vessels

Oil pollution preventionfailure mechanisms

Transition temperatureseffect of edge preparations

Over 60 Years of History

2016

Roles & Responsibilities• SSC Co-Chair

– CG-5P – RDML Servidio - Asst. Commandant for Prevention Policy

– SEA 05 – RDML Fuller - NAVSEA’s Deputy Commander Ship Design, Integration and Naval Engineering Naval Sea Systems Command

• SSC Administration– Executive Director, LT Joshua A. Kapusta– Administrative Assistant , Ms. Jeannette Grant

• Principal Members• Executive Group Members• Sub-Committee Members

Principal Members of the SSC

• American Bureau of Shipping

• Defence Research and Development Canada - Atlantic

• Maritime Administration

• Military Sealift Command

• Naval Sea Systems Command

• Office of Naval Research

• Transport Canada

• Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers

• USCG Commercial Vessel Engineering

• USCG Fleet Engineering

ABSABS

www. shipstructure.org

Web Trends & Analysis

Impact & RelevanceTop 20 Statistics

• AL & Composite Structures• Fatigue & Fracture• Design Criteria, Standards & Loads• Weld, Fabrication & Fastening• FEA

59% of all report downloads were published in last 10 years

**Statistics calculated through 2013.

Impact & RelevanceDomestic & International regulation projects that have benefitted:

High Speed Craft NVIC – marine composite and Aluminum structures, fatigue analyses, inspection techniques

IMO POLAR Code – Ice impacts (direct and glancing blows), Ice flow studies, structural impacts to operating in harsh environments

IMO Return to Port guidelines – Reliability based structural damage assessment studies

Sustainability– Lightweight construction and repair

Recent projects include:

1. Inspection Technique for Marine Composite Construction

2. Design and Detailing for High Speed Aluminum Vessels Design

3. Structural Challenges Faced by Arctic Ships

4. Predictive Modeling Impact of Ice on Ship and Offshore Structures

5. Development of a Structural Health Monitoring Prototype for Ship Structures

1940s

•Formed based on a recommendation of the Board of Investigation studying the brittle fracture of the Liberty Ships.•Continued research in Ship Structures

1950s

•mechanical metallurgy•chemical & physical metallurgy

1960s

•geometry of structural members•transition temperatures•effect of edge preparations

1970s

•new designs - new structural concerns•catamarans•dynamically supported vessels•cryogenic product •full transverse fracture•ITB MARTHA INGRAM broke in two (brittle)•Mineral Management Service added•First Symposium with SNAME!

1980s

•fatigue failure in new high strength steel vessels•oil pollution prevention•failure mechanisms and their abatement•Mineral Management Service left•OBO DERBYSHIRE

1990s

•reliability based ship design•improved structural detail design •welding practices•inspection techniques•investigate expanded use of composite materials •MSC CARLA•Canada joins•SNAME joins as full member

2000s

•reliability/risk methodologies•human element in ship design•high speed vessels•crashworthiness of ship structures

2010s

•Fatigue analysis and design•Aluminum & Composites•Structural Hull Monitoring•Ice interaction and arctic operations