Seascapes- Composite construction

Shipbuilding materials have “evolved” over the centuries, as technology has advanced. Wood gave way to iron, because of the strength it offered, and the increased internal capacity of a ship of similar dimensions. Steel provided still greater strength, and opportunities for an extrapolation in ship sizes. The aluminium found in fast ferry construction and in the superstructure of giant cruise vessels combine strength with lightness, where the weight of steel would give either increased fuel consumption, or stability problems. Glass reinforced plastics, the first of the composites, found a role in leisure craft and in certain naval vessels like minesweepers, where the magnetic signature needed to be minimised.
Composites have developed hugely in recent years, man-made materials which can literally be developed to produce certain desired characteristics. The modern airliner looks outwardly like its aluminium predecessor, but very large parts of it are of composite construction, where great strength and lightness can be programmed into a building material. The wings of the giant, double decked, new Airbus A 380 are, for instance, almost entirely constructed of composites. The re-usable fuel tanks of the space shuttles, which are designed to withstand enormous heat and strong enough to withstand an impact with the sea after falling several miles, are of composite, where no steel could cope with such punishment. Whatever characteristic - strength, thinness, lightness, ductility, rigidity, malleability, heat or cold resistance is required, a composite can be fashioned to provide it.
To date the maritime world, probably because of the cost of working with these new materials, has barely been touched by composites. Naval architects have explored their possibilities for some years, but mainly in the context of racing yachts, and modern Americas Cup craft will be almost entirely constructed of Kevlar and other artificial composite materials, where lightness and strength will be combined.
Warship builders are becoming increasingly interested in composite structures and materials, notably for fast craft, where the qualities of lightness and ability to withstand punishment are seen to be interesting. Armour plate, which disappeared with the demise of the battleship, is being once again investigated.
Enthusiasts for composites suggest that while the commercial maritime world may not be quite ready for a composite ship, there are attractions in using these materials for certain parts of the vessel. Bulker hatch covers, which have to be made immensely strong to withstand wave loadings and are thus increasingly massive and heavy, could provide the same strength at a fraction of the weight. Areas of the ship which were prone to damage from the sea, notably in the forepart of a ship could be reinforced by composites. And the cost of composites is on a downward slope, which could make this material more attractive to ship designers in the not so distant future.

By BIMCO