Optimization of composite maritime structures - effects of uncertainties on design criteria limits

Paper in proceeding, 2011

Composite materials have been used successfully in vessels since the 1960s. Changes during the last decade in international regulations, fuel prices and environmental concerns have dramatically increased the interest of the marine industry in lightweight composite materials. There are many questions regarding the material’s properties and behaviour that still remain, leading, in some instances to too robustly designed crafts. There-fore, the new generation of composite vessels requires a finer tuning of safety and weight, which can be achieved by analyzing thoroughly the behaviour of the material and the effects of uncertainties and approxi-mations found in the design process. This paper presents the study of two design methodologies with different degrees of complexity, through deterministic and probabilistic analyses, in order to determine their benefits, drawbacks and challenges.