The Best of Both Worlds: Hybrid Ship Hulls Use Composites & Steel

Mathematical formulas,rules, weight ...IMPACT LOADINGAutomatic learning toolsGlobal ScaleComponent ScaleMaterial ScaleRensselaer Polytechnic InstituteUniversity of California–San DiegoFigure 8. Development of Analytical Methods for Analysis of Hybrid Ships.cover the use of neural networks and expert systems, as well as thedevelopment of multi-scale computational methods (covering thescale from interface details to the full scale structure.)APPLICATION OF HYBRID HULLThe hybrid hull concept was conceived to enable the use of compositesin the structure of large combatants. The emerging needfor fast craft in the Navy however, brought about a new possibilityfor hybrid construction. Fast craft require high fatigueresistance and the use of low density materials like aluminum orcomposites. Where many aluminum alloys suffer from poorfatigue performance, composites can be made to possess excellentfatigue resistance, but may lack the stiffness for some of the hullforms of the proposed fast ships. Figure 9 shows some conceptsof hybrid construction envisioned for fast ships.Application of Hybrid HullPentamaranTheater Support VesselTrimaranCatamaranTheater Logistics VesselSurface Effect ShipFast Patrol BoatFigure 9. Concepts of Hybrid Construction in Fast Craft.60The AMPTIAC Quarterly, Volume 7, Number 3