On the Torsional Rigidity of Ships with Large Hatches (Part I)

Abstract

The authors investigate the torsional rigidity of thin-walled box girders with an opening, both theoretically and experimentally, as the fundamental research for the torsional problems of ships having large sized hatches. The torsional problem of box girders with an opening is treated in this paper as the "two-dimensional problem" instead of the so-called "bending torsion". Based on the theoretical result, a simplified method of calculation of the angle of twist is proposed, in which the bending-torsion theory is used with corrected end conditions. Torsion tests are conducted with steel models of thin-walled box girder and circular cylinder having an opening. Comparison of the results between the theory and the experiment shows fairly good agreement.