Ultimate strength of a box girder with a large opening subjected to flooding and bending loads

Different size and type of openings may exist or be generated as a result of a ship collision, grounding, dropped objects or explosion, which may lead to a severe reduction of the structural capacity are analysed here. A series of static nonlinear finite element analyses of a box girder with an opening that may represent a midship section are performed. The ship hull, represented by a box girder, with different locations of opening, simulating collision damage and different levels of immersion due to flooding, subjected to bending loading is studied. The ultimate bending moment, as a result of the asymmetrical structural response, is analysed and different failure modes are identified and discussed. The reduction of the ultimate bending moment and the bending rigidity is estimated and compared to the experimental results of an intact box girder.