Structural response of reduced scale naval structures under impact tests

Scaled models are important in naval engineering since actual ship size makes too expensive to test prototypes. However, the analysis of ship collision events employing naval structures in reduced scale is not an ordinary ship research area. The aim of this work is to create the basis for a posterior similarity study by analysing reduced scale ship structures submitted to impact loads. Two basic naval structures, commonly found in the construction of large ships, were considered for this study: a T cross-section beam submitted to a mid-span impact test and a double plate panel with inner cross reinforcement also submitted to a central impact load. These models were made in a reduced scale of 1:100. The experimental material characterization was also carried out in this work, including the evaluation of the stress strain curve under quasi static conditions, the strain rate sensitivity and the structural failure using three criteria developed particularly for numerical modelling of ship collision by other authors.