Condition Monitoring of Maritime Structures using Optical Fiber Sensors

Applications > Maritime

Maritime Applications
Maritime applications of Smart Fibres technology are varied indeed. On the one hand, builders of performance racing boats and fast military vessels are seeking to stretch their design envelopes to achieve a competitive or strategic advantage; whilst on the other hand VLCC and dry bulk carrier operators are seeking to maximise the utility/cost ration of their fleet whilst adhering to existing and emerging legislation's.

Performance Yachts
The demand for increased performance and reduced cost means that more carbon fiber structures are being incorporated into yacht design, replacing conventional aluminium or wood. Even today the design of critical yacht components, such as masts, are over-engineered to cope with potential worst case load situations, despite the utilisation of in-built load cell technologies. This places a size/cost burden and performance limitation on the yacht design. Strain gauge technologies have in the past been used to experimentally measure applied loads at critical points on the mast.

The information gained has been important in influencing mast design but these techniques are not suitable for long term routine use and the data is limited to surface effects which do not accurately monitor the potentially more critical internal effects. Similar related problems apply to hull and keel design. Mast failure, due to an underestimation of the environmental conditions and the subsequent overloading of the structure, is therefore a relatively common occurrence.

Monitoring of slamming loads on mast, hull and keel

The yacht Valsheida, equiped with a Smart Fibres strain sensing system