Thermoplastic Materials for the Metal Replacement of Non-Structural Components in Marine Engines

Metal replacements for automotive and aerospace components are already a consolidated reality, in light of the advantages offered by fibre-reinforced polymers, consisting of reduced costs, weight, and environmental impact. As a result, engineering has been studying the possibility of replacing currently used metallic alloys with alternative materials, such as thermoplastic fibre-reinforced polymers, in the manufacturing of non-structural sections of marine engines. Given the peculiar characteristics of the working environment of such parts, i.e., ship engine spaces, and the strict requirements regarding safety, the selection of the polymer must be properly performed through a tailored material design process. Consequently, the redesign of the components must be carried out with the aim of exploiting the best of the materials’ properties while ensuring the correct resistance and simplifying installation operations. In this framework, finite element simulations may represent a suitable approach to validate the conformity of the proposed material and design. In this paper, this methodology is applied to a camshaft cover of a four-stroke marine engine, currently made of aluminium alloy. A 30% wt GFs/PA6,6 was identified as the most promising material and the novel plastic cover proved to guarantee the correct resistance while ensuring an important reduction in weight, processing costs, and required energy

Electrification of Vessels for Garbage Collection and Treatment in Venice Lagoon

Nowadays, reducing pollutant emissions is of fundamental importance. In particular, in areas where urban public transport is carried out almost exclusively by boats, these represent the primary factors on which it is necessary to intervene. The conversion of current diesel units into hybridpropelled ones is essential to preserve the marina and the environment in areas considered UNESCO heritage sites such as Venice. This document concerns the study of the first hybrid vessel built for garbage collection in the old town of Venice. Paying attention to the system engineering innovations and the results of the tests carried out on board, the authors present some considerations regarding the changes necessary to convert the current diesel propulsion into a hybrid one, with the aim to enable navigation in Zero Emission Mode

Bio-Based Adhesives for Wooden Boatbuilding

The aim of the present investigation was to assess the behaviour of strip-planked parts by comparing wooden specimens glued using two different bio-based adhesives with wooden specimens glued using a conventional epoxy resin generally used in boatbuilding. Experimental tests in accordance with UNI EN standards were performed in order to evaluate mechanical properties such as tensile strength, shear strength, elastic modulus and shear modulus. In addition, compression shear tests were performed in order to assess the shear modulus of the adhesives. The obtained results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of the investigated bio-based adhesives are comparable to, and sometimes better than, the conventional epoxy resin. Moreover, the experimental results give useful information for the design of wooden boats when the strip-planking process is used. Furthermore, a new procedure to assess the shear modulus of elasticity and shear strength, using the application of compression loadings, was proposed. The results were compared to standard lap-joint tests and showed even lower dispersion. Consequently, the testing procedure proposed by the authors is valid to assess shear properties under compression loading, and it can be applied in most laboratories since it involves the use of common testing devices

Performance In-Live of Marine Engines: A Tool for Its Evaluation

Currently, most ships use internal combustion engines (ICEs) either as propulsion engines or generator sets. The growing concern in environmental protection along with the consequent international rule framework motivated shipowners and designers to replace conventional power systems in order to mitigate pollutant emissions. Therefore, manufacturers have made available on the market many technological solutions to use alternative fuels (Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG, methanol, etc.). However, the main energy source is still fossil fuel, so almost all the ICEs are made up of turbocharged diesel engines (TDEs). TDEs have still the potential to improve their efficiency and reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. In particular, the interpretation of Industry 4.0 given by manufacturers enabled the installation of a robust network of sensors on TDEs, which is able to allow reliable power management systems and make ships much more efficient regarding operating costs (fuel consumption and maintenance) and environmental footprint. In this paper, a software tool that is capable of processing the in-live performance of TDEs is described. The great novelty consists in the ability to process all the information detected by the sensor network in-live and dynamically optimize TDEs\u2019 operation, whereas the common practice involves the collection of performance data and their off-line processing

An innovative approach for the biological risk management on-board ships during COVID-19 crisis

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19), due to the limited supply of vaccines, put a strain on world- wide economy, also on the maritime sector. As a result, the adoption of non-pharmaceutical inter- ventions to limit the biological agent\u2019s spread became fundamental. Such preventing actions can be performed in accordance with various International and National Regulations even though not specifically issued for the maritime sector. In this context, the authors introduce a new methodol- ogy for biological risk management on-board ships using a qualitative risk matrix. Moreover, with respect to the traditional approach, an importance weight scale was added, in order to classify the different on-board activities. To perform a comparative analysis between the new and the traditional approach, a case study based on a cargo ship was carried out

Mitigation of CO₂ Emissions from Commercial Ships: Evaluation of the Technology Readiness Level of Carbon Capture Systems

The challenge of achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the shipping sector is a pressing issue that is yet to be fully overcome. While new fuels and technologies hold promise for the future, they are not currently viable solutions on a large scale in the short-term. One strategy that is being considered as a way to reduce CO2 and CO emissions in the immediate future is carbon capture technology. Additionally, the possibility of a carbon tax being implemented in the future further strengthens the case for the adoption of this technology, which is already quite mature and in use in industries, although it has yet to be developed in the maritime sector. In this paper, the authors start from the definition of carbon capture technology to provide a technical overview of the solutions that are currently available to the maritime sector. Given the absolute innovation of such systems for application on board ships, the authors studied their installation and developed appropriate schemes to illustrate the feasibility of integration of these new technologies on board. Furthermore, the authors highlight the different levels of technological readiness of the proposed systems based on their potential for implementation on board commercial vessels

A Comparison of Different Linearized Formulations for Progressive Flooding Simulations in Full-Scale

In the framework of Industry 4.0, simulation plays a key role in processing sensors data to predict the future behaviour of a complex system. Aiming to increase ship efficiency and safety, simulations can be used in normal conditions but also during an emergency. In this context, progressive flooding simulations can be applied onboard large passenger ships to support master decisions after a collision or grounding casualty. Among the methods present in literature, the techniques based on linearized differential equations have been recently proposed and tested in model-scale. Here, the effects of three different linearized techniques are studied on a large passenger ship. The main issues connected to different mathematical formulations are highlighted, to enhance the reliability of the onboard progressive flooding simulation and better exploit data collected by sensors to increase ship safety in the framework of Shipping 4.0

SIMPLIFIED AND ADVANCED APPROACHES FOR EVACUATION ANALYSIS OF PASSENGER SHIPS IN THE EARLY STAGE OF DESIGN

In order to improve the survival capability of passenger and ro-ro ships in event of fire or flooding, in the last few years a set of international Regulations has been issued. In particular, the Regulation SOLAS \u201cSafe Return to Port\u201d is addressed towards design criteria able to guarantee adequate functionality of the ship when a casualty occurs. The Regulation requires the evacuation of the ship when a given threshold of damage (i.e., fire and flood) is exceeded. The evacuation analysis has become of primary importance even in the early-stage design. Indeed, the new amendments to SOLAS Regulation II-2/13.3.2.7 makes the evacuation analysis mandatory for both new and existing passenger and ro-ro ships since the early steps of the project. In this paper, the current IMO Guidelines have been analysed, and a case study for the evacuation of a 3600-person cruise ship has been carried out by means of both a simplified and an advanced method. To perform advanced calculations, two different software, based on virtual reality, have been used and the results have been compared with simplified method ones

Identification of measures to contain the outbreaks on passenger ships using pedestrian simulations

6no: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, since the beginning of 2020, has had a strong effect on many industry sectors including maritime transport. In this context, the passenger transport industry was the most affected and it is still in a very critical situation. Starting from the "No Sail Order" issued in March 2020, cruise companies stopped their operations. Besides the international regulatory bodies issued several guidelines for the prevention and management of pandemics onboard in order to safely resume cruises. The present work addresses this topic, aiming to discuss procedures and best practices to reduce the risk of uncontrolled spreading of SARS-CoV-2 infection on large cruise vessels. Starting from the lessons learned from the representative case of Diamond Princess, here the tools developed in the framework of Industry 4.0 have been used to highlight and handle the criticalities risen on the internal layout of passenger vessels, opening new opportunities to operate existing vessels and improve the design new buildings for outbreaks prevention and control.openopenBraidotti, Luca; Bertagna, Serena; Dodero, Matteo; Piu, Michele; Marinò, Alberto; Bucci, VittorioBraidotti, Luca; Bertagna, Serena; Dodero, Matteo; Piu, Michele; Marinò, Alberto; Bucci, Vittori

Bio-Based Adhesives for Wooden Boatbuilding

The aim of the present investigation was to assess the behaviour of strip-planked parts by comparing wooden specimens glued using two different bio-based adhesives with wooden specimens glued using a conventional epoxy resin generally used in boatbuilding. Experimental tests in accordance with UNI EN standards were performed in order to evaluate mechanical properties such as tensile strength, shear strength, elastic modulus and shear modulus. In addition, compression shear tests were performed in order to assess the shear modulus of the adhesives. The obtained results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of the investigated bio-based adhesives are comparable to, and sometimes better than, the conventional epoxy resin. Moreover, the experimental results give useful information for the design of wooden boats when the strip-planking process is used. Furthermore, a new procedure to assess the shear modulus of elasticity and shear strength, using the application of compression loadings, was proposed. The results were compared to standard lap-joint tests and showed even lower dispersion. Consequently, the testing procedure proposed by the authors is valid to assess shear properties under compression loading, and it can be applied in most laboratories since it involves the use of common testing devices