A competitive advantage over other shipyards is extremely important in the high-stake shipbuilding industry. Typically, a competitiveness analysis of a shipyard measures productivity based on specific parameters, such as tonnes or compensated gross t...

Sandwich structures are well-known and frequently used solutions in marine applications, especially when structural stiffness is required. An important part of the sandwich structure is the core, which usually carries shear loads. Therefore, choosing a reliable test method and knowing the exact shear properties of the particular core used in the structural design is beneficial for every engineer. Shear properties of the FlexyFoam M-55, a closed-cell, lightweight PVC foam with an apparent density of 60 kg/m³, have been investigated according to the ASTM C273 standard, using the tensile and compressive loading of metal supporting plates glued to the PVC foam sample. A digital image correlation (DIC) technique was used to monitor the crack propagation, and the appearance of secondary stresses at the foam-adhesive interface and strain field for the representative sample was presented. Displacement was measured using the testing machine sensors and compared to the measurements from the DIC technique. Specimen manufacturing details, surface preparation, and the gluing sequence were described, and measuring equipment and experiment settings were presented. Stress-strain curves have been presented and shear modulus and ultimate shear strength of the foam were compared for each test approach. The results were discussed and compared with the manufacturer’s data, as well as with foams of similar densities. The well-established approach in testing the core material was discussed, and recommendations were given to improve the testing procedure.

Composite materials are in use in the shipbuilding industry for a long period of time. Composites appear in vast number of fibre – matrix combinations and can be produced with several different production processes. Due to the specific nature of the composite material structure, the selection of the production process and the limitations in the quality control procedures, composite materials will always be subject to defects and imperfections which may, under certain circumstances, lead to the appearance and propagation of cracks. The size and the shape of the crack, the load type and the stress field in the material surrounding the crack will be crucial for crack growth and crack propagation. This paper reviews the composite material damage processes especially relevant for shipbuilding. The basic principles of composite material fracture mechanics are briefly explained, and finally, mechanisms responsible for the development of damage and fracture of composite materials are presented. This paper has emerged from the need to summarize information about composite material fracture and failure mechanisms and modes relevant for the shipbuilding industry.

Numerical reconstruction is the process of modeling, analyzing, and evaluating the performance of structures or a sequence of events using the finite element method and other numerical engineering methods. Although numerical analysis is used extensively in contemporary engineering problems, it can be equally useful in the study of ancient structures and events of the past. The materials and design of structures are different, e.g., when comparing a modern containership with an old galleon, but the main problem to be solved is essentially the same—will the ship sail efficiently and safely for many years? This paper aims to provide an overview of recent achievements in numerical reconstruction in maritime archaeology. Since it is clearly an interdisciplinary activity, research is often carried out within a specific project by project team members or interested groups of researchers. While the paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of such efforts, special attention is paid to activities related to the AdriaS (Archaeology of Adriatic Shipbuilding and Seafaring) and NEREAS (Numerical Reconstruction in the Archaeology of Seafaring) projects supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, to which the authors actively contribute.

In the education process it is of utmost importance to adequately prepare the student for the labor market in accordance with current achievements in the professional field. In doing so, the standard educational process is often not sufficiently aligned with the needs of the market, especially in terms of preparation for work in a collaborative project environment, which is expected in nowadays modern design company. Today, the industry uses advanced digital collaborative software solutions that integrate ideas, design, development and follow the product life cycle. Such software needs to be implemented in the contemporary education process. In this paper authors present the implementation of the 3DExperience Collaborative Platform in the education process of naval architecture, based on modeling of a sample ship in order to analyze its global strength. Students are being familiarized with team work, they are able to monitor their work and progress of their colleagues, influence on the execution of the tasks and adjust the course of the project, redistributing and reallocating the resources. All of this actions are comparatively realistic depiction of the real working environment. Finally, the application of VR technology for the visualization of the model of the ship is presented in order to better understand the project challenges, ship structure and control of the performed tasks. At the end of the paper, the authors give an overview of the achievements and also stress out guidelines for further application of the software in the education process. Next milestone in this ongoing process would be to produce a detailed model of the ship and its documentation and other production information.

Deformations of steel material in shipbuilding and marine technology applications as a result of mechanical or temperature influences are a well-known problem. However, in the modern shipbuilding industry, the application of alternative materials, especially composite materials, in the structure and for the equipment of the ship is increasingly represented. Consequently, there is a need to determine the deformation and change of characteristics of such composite materials as a result of various mechanical, and especially temperature influences that cause the so-called shrinkage. The basic composite production process involves connecting the matrix with a catalyst and accelerators that create temperature, then the material shrinks by cooling when it can change its dimensions and characteristics. Also, in order to achieve the best possible mechanical properties, composite materials are specially heated and then cooled according to strictly defined processes and curves. The ability to predict the characteristics and parameters of such deformations is important in the context of the application of composite materials. To define such deformations, different methods are used within individual numerical solvers, whose results can differ significantly from each other. Therefore, the authors in this paper present an established methodology for predicting mechanical and temperature deformations, and modelling of composite materials, based on the analysis of analytical methods and numerical solvers with the aim of defining the most accurate numerical solver. By applying the presented methodology, it is expected to raise the level of accuracy and quality of composite materials production as well as to raise the quality of design solutions and efficiency of production procedures during shipbuilding in particular, but also within different marine technology applications and during the product’s life cycle.