An alternate method for the determination of aircraft carrier limiting displacement for strength
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Authors
Malone, Michael L.
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2001-06
Date
June 2001
Publisher
Monterey California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
Aircraft Carriers are currently exceeding design displacement limits, with minimal Service Life Allowance margin. Current aircraft carrier displacement limits are based primarily on structural strength criteria under very limited load and environment conditions. Traditional methods of determining hull girder displacement strength utilized an arbitrary safety factor of 15 percent which was allowed between the Calculated Primary Stress and the Design Primary Stress. The use of this safety factor and others has resulted in the establishment of a conservative displacement limit. This established displacement limit fails to provide an adequate margin of comfort for the addition of post construction weight to aircraft carrier hulls and does not provide an accurate indication of the actual hull girder displacement limit. A first failure analysis of fifteen sections of the newest aircraft carrier design (CVN 77) was conducted. The results of this analysis along with output data from the Ship Hull Characteristic Program (SHCP) were utilized in forming an alternate method for determining the limiting displacement for strength for aircraft carriers. Although the present aircraft carrier displacement limit takes into account numerous other limitations, this process deals only with the hull girder displacement limit for strength. This study does not provide a specific number for the displacement limit for strength for aircraft carriers; however, it does show that the NIMITZ aircraft carrier hull is potentially capable of sustaining significant additional weight without exceeding established Maximum Allowable Bending Moment limits.
Type
Thesis
Description
CIVINS (Civilian Institutions) Thesis document
Series/Report No
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
CIVINS
Format
94 leaves ; 28 cm.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.