Experimental and numerical analysis of ultimate strength of inland catamaran subjected to vertical bending moment

An experiment is performed of the ultimate strength an inland catamaran subjected to a vertical bending moment, and a finite element analysis of the scaled model is also conducted. The inland vessels are designed with a shallow draught and a relatively small section modulus and moment of inertia of the hull cross-section, which makes the ultimate longitudinal strength much more critical in structural behaviour in severe weather conditions. A large-scale specimen is designed employing the scaling laws and the linear finite element static analysis. During the experiment, the load-displacement and strain data, overall and local structural collapse are recorded. The experimental results are compared with the finite element simulations, and a good agreement is achieved between the experimental and numerical results of the large-scale specimen and prototype-ship of the catamaran. The established procedure for estimating the ultimate strength of the catamaran is proven to be accurate. The improvement of the ship ultimate longitudinal strength is also presented.