SHOCK RESILIENCE OF STRUCTURAL PILLARS IN NAVAL VESSELS

Abstract

Although structural pillars are extensively used in commercial vessels, traditionally their use on board UK warships has been discouraged. This is due to the tendency of pillars to “punch through” the deck when subjected to the high impulse loading of shock from underwater explosions (UNDEX). There are however many spaces within naval ships that would significantly benefit from the wide-open spaces created from the use of pillars as opposed to full bulkheads, such as machinery rooms, mooring decks and accommodation flats. This paper re-addresses the question of a shock capable pillar, looking at how a pillar can be designed or mounted to increase its resilience to shock from underwater explosions. It is proposed that the advice against the use of pillars in warships could be unfounded; this is supported by the fact that not all navies reject their use. The results of this study imply that as long as the pillar is sited properly on primary structural members, then pillar buckling should occur long before “punch though”.