Newcastle University

Project:

MARSTRUCT - Network of Excellence on Marine Structures

From February 2004 to January 2007
Project Leader(s): Professor Bob Dow & Dr Jonathan Downes
Staff: Dr Yongchang Pu
Contact: Jonathan.Downes@newcastle.ac.uk
Sponsors: European Commission
Homepage: http://www.mar.ist.utl.pt/marstruct/

The overall objective is to improve the safety, effectiveness, reliability, environmental behaviour and comfort of ship structures through the application of advanced structural and reliability assessment within design, fabrication and operation, leading to increased public and commercial confidence in the competitiveness and use of waterborne transportation.

This objective will be achieved by strengthening the European competitiveness by the integration of the various European groups for structural analysis of ships with improved safety environmental behaviour and comfort.

The activities of the Network cover the different areas related with advanced structural analysis such as:

• Specification of the loading appropriate for the various modes of structural response and strength.
• Methods and tools for the analysis both numerically and experimentally of the structural strength and performance.
• Influence of fabrication methods, new, and advanced materials on the structural strength and performance of ships.
• Tools for design and optimisation of ship structures.
• Tools and methods of structural reliability, safety and environmental protection of ships.

The School of Marine Science and Technology is the work package leader of the load and load effects work package and is also involved in all aspects of the project.