Evaluation of IACS Common Structural Rules in Terms of Ultimate Limit State Design and Assessment of Ship Structures

The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the ultimate limit state performance of an AFRAMAX-class hypothetical double hull oil tanker structure designed by IACS CSR (Common Structural Rules) method, compared with the same-class/type tanker structure designed by IACS pre-CSR method. The ultimate strengths of stiffened plate structures in deck and bottom parts under combined in-plane and out-of-plane actions, and hull girder against vertical bending moment, are computed for the two designs, and the resulting computations are compared. ALPS/ULSAP program is used for the ultimate limit state assessment of stiffened plate structures, while ALPS/HULL program is employed for the progressive hull collapse analysis. ANSYS nonlinear FEA method, which uses more refined technology, is also used for the same purpose. The insights and developments obtained from the present study are addressed.