ABSTRACT
Non-linear, large deformation and three-dimensional finite element analyses (FEA) of a ship bulb impact with a ship side-shell structure in a ship collision scenario is conducted to analyse the energy absorbed by a specimen during a laboratory experiment. Numerical analysis such as FEA has been widely used to investigate the structural performance of ships and offshore structures, due to the development of high performance computers. The chapter discusses the FE size, material properties, loading speed in FEA, coefficient of friction, failure criteria, and boundary condition in FEA The FE results are compared with a reference test—the experimental analyses of the bulb impact with a ship-like structure by U. B. Karlsson et al. In FEA, the determination of the element size plays an important role in obtaining accurate results. The loading speed has very limited influence on the FE results, in terms of low speed minor collisions. Also the friction coefficient has no significant effect on the FE result.
