EXTREME SEAWAY LOADS CHARACTERIZATION FOR SHIP STRUCTURE

SHIPS HAVE LONG BEEN DESIGNED TO EMPIRICAL FORMULATE THAT DO NOT REPRESENT REALISTIC CONDITIONS FOR MODERN NAVAL VESSELS IN EXTREME SEA CONDITIONS. AS A CONSEQUENCE, SHIPS FREQUENTLY SUFFER EXPENSIVE DAMAGE IN HEAVY SEAS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF EXTREME WAVES OF THE TYPE THAT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE SPECIFIC TYPES OF DAMAGE. AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, THE DAMAGE EXPERIENCED BY SHIPS WILL BE CATEGORIZED AND RELATED TO EXTREME WAVE CONDITIONS. THE LOADS REQUIRED TO CAUSE THE DAMAGE WILL BE ESTIMATED SO THAT A DATA BASE OF REAL WAVES AND REAL WAVE LOADS CAN BE DEVELOPED THAT CAN BE USED IN FUTURE SHIP DESIGN. IN THIS WAY, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT UNSUITABLE STRUCTURAL ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE AVOIDED AND THAT STRUCTURES CAN BE DESIGNED TO WITH STAND THE LOADS THAT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO OCCUR. THIS WILL RESULT IN IMPROVED SAFETY DURING SEVERE STORMS AND IN IMPROVED COMBAT READINESS AFTER SUCH STORMS.