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Structural design optimization-tools and methodologies

Abstract:

This chapter focuses on methodologies to perform ship structure optimization, decreasing steel weight and keeping the production cost at an acceptable level. Ship performance is always an important concern when a design is started, and should always be considered for newdesigns. This is in linewith the evolution of ship classes and size. For this reason, several aspects are important to be taken into account within the optimization procedure, and therefore, multi-objective optimization is the common route. This chapter outlines actual trends in optimization methodologies, comments on the quality assessment of the obtained Pareto solutions and describes modern tools used in/by the maritime industry (with focus on the LBR-5, BESST and HOLISHIP projects). The importance of consideration of risk assessment in the structural design optimization procedure (e.g. of a ship collision with an offshore structure) is also elaborated with a highlight on the response surface method and its use in combination with optimization algorithms for ship and offshore structures in early design stages.