Collaborative efforts in advancing the state-of-the-art of early stage ship design

Abstract

The design process for a new warship requires the selection of the configuration and specific characteristics that will result in satisfying requirements in a operationally effective manner. Traditionally, the initial phase of Concept Definition was based on experience, on the balanced application of project constraints, on empirical rules and experimental information, and on analytical insights into the technologies that are being considered for the new warship. This knowledge was employed within a consolidated team of experts who balance requirements, constraints and resources. However, a key aspect of successful ship design is the need to begin the process with an understanding of the missions that this ship will undergo, as well as a clear definition of mission success. A collaborative team of researchers from academia and industry, led by Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), is applying this "mission-focus" to Early Stage Ship Design (ESSD). This multi-year effort has the primary goal of linking operational effectiveness and design characteristic information that support a deeper understanding of their relationships within the ship concept design process. This paper provides a thorough vision of the efforts developed and implemented by OSN and their research partners, to include a summary of national and international research projects, describing the final objective of producing and delivering a warship where the effectiveness of the entire warship is addressed during the earliest stages of design. OSN instantiated this effort by establishing a collaborative, real-time environment in which operational needs and engineering design considerations are both represented within a coherent and integrated ship development process.