ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a numerical study on the plate tearing behaviour of aluminium alloy plates cut by a rigid wedge. Along with denting and crushing, plate tearing is one of the major energy dissipation modes observed in grounding of ships. Plate tearing occurs when a ship with forward speed runs aground on a sharp object in the seabed, such as a rock. The chapter aims to assess the plate tearing behaviour of aluminium alloy plates cut by a rigid wedge, a topic particularly relevant to grounding of lightweight, high-speed vessels. For the aluminium plates, an important aspect to be considered is that the rupture strain is quite lower compared to that of steels that is the aluminium is less ductile. B. C. Simonsen & R. Tornqvist performed large scale plate tearing tests of aluminium and steel plates, with a large notch at the centre, subjected to in-plane stretching by two cross-heads bolted to the side edges of the plate.
