Basic Approach: 111equation Chapter 1 Section 1 Weight Estimation
Basic Approach: 111equation Chapter 1 Section 1 Weight Estimation
Basic Approach: 111equation Chapter 1 Section 1 Weight Estimation
Basic Approach
There are two basic approaches to estimating the weight of a ship. The first is to sum the weights
of all the items built into the ship. The second is to employ a system of scaling or proportioning
from the weights of a known basis ship to the new design based on the ratios between principal
characteristics of the two vessels.
The first approach will only give an answer when the ship is complete and so is too late to be of
value to the designer. The second approach is thus the one we will consider here. Once the first
choice of main dimensions has been made these are used to make weight estimates for each
group weight of the design displacement. Naturally the total must equal the design displacement.
If it does not the required cargo deadweight will not be obtained and either a larger or a smaller
ship is required. Iteration may be necessary to arrive at a set of dimensions which ensure that the
sum of the weights making up the ship (its design displacement) exactly * equals the buoyancy
offered by the hull at its design draught.
+ Margin
The Margin is an essential part of the weight make up as it allows for errors and omissions in the
remainder of the calculations. For a vessel whose Lightship is a relatively small part of the full
load displacement a value of about 2% of Lightship is likely to be appropriate. Where the
Lightship is a much greater proportion of the full load displacement and a weight over-run would
be seriously embarrassing then a greater percentage may be chosen.
For every ship there is a ‘balance of weights’ table, an example of which is shown in Table 2.1.
This shows the actual figures for a Shelter deck General Cargo vessel of 128 m length between
perpendiculars (LBP).
Steel Weight
Representing principally the hull structure: - Plates and sections forming Shell, Outer
Bottom, Inner Bottom, Girders, Upper Deck, Tween Decks, Bulkheads,
Superstructure(s), Seats for equipment & Appendages together with Forgings/Castings
for Stem, Sternframe, Rudder Stock(s) and Shaft Brackets.
Net scantling weight: This is the steel weight that is actually ordered in by the shipyard. It
is subjected to a rolling margin of 2.5% to 2.5% of the thickness of each plate.
Net steel weight: This is the weight that ends up in the new ship. It takes into effect the
wastage caused by plate preparation. The steel that ends up on the cutting floor can be 8–
10% of the delivered plate. Figure 2.1 shows a nested plate with wastage material
regions.
Methods for estimating steel weight in ships
There are several methods for obtaining the steel weight of a new design some of them being:
1. Cubic Number method
2. Weight per meter method
3. ‘Slog-slog’ method
4. Method of differences
5. Computational techniques.
The use of this method implies accurate knowledge of past similar ships as no account is taken of changes
to major items of steelwork such as number of bulkheads or number of decks. For a good level of
accuracy changes in L, B or D from the basis ship should be no more than 10% but often the method is
applied out with such limits.
Correction Factors:-
(a) with CB at load draught
(b)
If in similar ships the Main Dimensions vary as L, then the weights will vary as L cubed. This is
only true if B and D vary in the same proportion as L. Thickness in scantlings will vary in the
same proportion. This will seldom occur. Thus, considerable error can result if the Cubic No. is
directly applied. It is more efficient to obtain proportional dimensions for the new design using
the Cubic No. and then adjusting for differences in the values of B and D
This is a slightly more refined system than the Cubic Number Method being able to take account of the
different effects of changes in the principal dimensions. Once again, dimensional changes of up to 10%
can be allowed for. The basis of the method is that the effect on the Steel Weight of change in each of the
three principal dimensions can be weighted by different amounts. An increase in Length will lead to an
increase in the weight of all elements of the hull - Bottom, Side Shell, Decks, Bulkheads etc. In addition
the Hull Girder Bending Moment will tend to increase at a faster rate than Length.
Bending Moment ∝ ∆L
= ρ x L x B x T x CB x L
2
∝L
Therefore there may be an increase in the thickness of the plating used in the Bottom and the Upper Deck
in order to increase the Hull Girder Section Modulus to resist the increasing Bending Moment. Overall an
increase in Length will produce a greater than proportionate increase in W s .
An increase in Breadth will increase the weight of Bottom, Decks and Bulkheads but will have little
effect on the weight of the Side Shell. Overall an increase in Breadth will produce a roughly proportionate
increase in Ws .
An increase in Depth will increase the weight of Side Shell and Bulkheads but will cause little or no
change to the Bottom or Decks except that plating thickness may be reduced while still providing the
same Hull Girder Section Modulus. Overall this should lead to the increase in W s being less than
proportional to the increase in Depth.
Typical values of the weighting factors are 1.45 for Length, 0.95 for Breadth and 0.65 for Depth. i.e. the
rate of change of steel weight per one metre change in length is 1.45 W s /L, per one metre change in
breadth is 0.95 Ws /B and per one metre change in Depth is 0.65 Ws /D.
A Form Correction is applied for change in Block Coefficient as for the Cubic Number Method.
If a ship of dimensions L, B, D has a steel weight of Ws tonnes then the rates per metre for each of the
dimensions are: -
For a new ship of dimensions L*, B*, D* the change in each dimension is given by: -
δL = L* - L
δB = B* - B
δD = D* - D
More refined methods may be used if a better breakdown of the steel weight of the basis ship is available,
e.g.: - Upper Deck
Tween Deck
Inner Bottom
Outer Bottom
Side Shell
Bulkheads
Superstructure
A square number approach is probably appropriate for each of the above elements of the structure, except
Superstructure.
For the Upper Deck WUD ∝ L x B with a form correction ideally dependent on the waterplane area
coefficient but practically varying with the block coefficient and a scantling correction depending on L/D
ratio.
The Outer Bottom could be treated in a similar way.
Tween Deck(s) and Inner Bottom will tend to vary only with L x B and block coefficient, while Side
Shell will follow L x D and block coefficient.
Bulkhead weight will tend to vary with B x D, block coefficient and number of bulkheads.
Superstructure(s) can be treated using their own mini cubic number l s bs hs , where ls ,bs and hs are the
mean values of length, breadth and height of the superstructure.
Schneekluth quotes a number of methods for scaling steel weight and also formulae for
calculating steel weight from the principal dimensions.
Example:
3. The ‘slog-slog’ method
This method is used where a basic ship is not available. It requires a preliminary set of steel
plans for the new design. Length, breadth and thickness of the steel plates and stiffeners are
multiplied together, and then added to give a total volume of steel. Any openings in the steel
have to be allowed for and deducted from this volume. By bringing in the specific gravity for
steel of about 7.85, the volume can be changed to steel weight. Being very repetitive in nature it
is very tedious. It can take a long time to obtain the final steel weight. This is why it is known as
the ‘slog-slog’ method.
4. Method of differences
In this method, dimensional correction is made for length, breadth and depth after comparisons
have been made between the new design and a selected basic ship. Feedback from ships already
built has shown that the steel weight in tonnes/m run for length, breadth and depth are as follows:
● 85% is affected by length of a ship,
● 55% is affected by the breadth of a ship,
● 30% is affected by the depth of a ship,
● 45% is affected by the depth of a ship for Oil Tankers only.
The percentages take into account end curvature of vessels and curvature below say the Upper
Deck level.
Worked example
A General Cargo ship is 122 m 16.45 m 9.20 m Depth Mld. She has a finished steel weight of
2700 tonnes. The new ship has preliminary dimensions of 131 m 17.08 m 10.10 m Depth Mld.
Estimate the steel weight for the new design after correcting for the Main Dimensions only.
For the basic ship:
Rate along the length = 85% x (2700/122) = 18.81 tonnes/m run
Rate across the breadth = 55% x (2700/16.45) = 90.27 tonnes/m run
Rate down the depth = 30% x (2700/9.20) = 88.04 tonnes/m run
L B D
Basic ship 122 16.45 9.20
New design 131 17.08 9.810.10
Differences 9 0.63 0.90
Rates in tonnes/m run 18.81 90.27 88.04
Modifications 169 57 79
Total 305
So, new design’s steel weight basic steel weight modifications = 2700 +305= 3005 tonnes
after modifying for Main Dimensions only!!
Note how the three rates in tonnes/m for the basic ship, are also used for the new design. It
should also be realized that any or all of the three modifications can be positive, zero or indeed
negative.
Worked example
A basic General Cargo ship is 135 m 18.53 m 10.0 m Depth Mld with a finished steel weight of
3470 tonnes. A new design is 136.8 m 18.36 m 9.8 m Depth Mld. Estimate the steel weight for
the new design after modifying for Main Dimensions only.
L B D
Basic ship 135.0 18.53 10.0
New design 136.8 18.36 9.8
Differences 1.8 -0.17 -0.2
Rates in tonnes/m run 21.85 103.0 104.10
Modifications 39 -18 -21
Total 0
So, new design’s steel weight basic steel weight modifications = 3470 + zero
3470 tonnes similar to basic ship steel weight!!
After modifying for dimensions only, it is necessary to modify further, for further differences in
the steel structures between the basic ship and the new design. This will be as follows.
Modification for CB
The correction is (1⁄2) % for each 0.010 change in the CB at the Summer Loaded Waterline
(SLWL).
Reconsider Worked example 2.3 where the steel for the new design after correcting for
dimensions was 3005 tonnes. Suppose the respective CB values at their respective SLWLs were
0.725 for the basic ship and 0.740 for the new design.
Scantling correction
Reconsider the Worked example 2.3 where the modifications were 169, 57 and 79 tonnes. Then:
Mean deck sheer for both ships = (Sheer aft + Sheer for’d)/6
Deck sheer correction = (Mean deck sheer for new ships - Mean deck sheer for basis ships) x
Depth Corrections
Assume for the first example that the basic ship has aft sheer of 1.27 m and for’d sheer of 2.75 m
with the new design having 1.38 m aft sheer and 3.5 m for’d sheer. Calculate the sheer correction
in tonnes.
There are other modifications to consider. These are shown in Table 2.2. On each occasion the
differences are examined between the basic ship and the new design and the modification to the
steel weight tabulated.
Questions :
Section 1
1 List the components that make up a ‘balance of weights’ table for a ship.
2 Define the following steel weight terms:
(a) Net scantling steel weight,
(b) Invoiced steel weight,
(c) Net steel weight,
(d) A nested plate.
3 List the factors that affect the steel weight for a basic ship or a new design.
4 A basic ship has an LBP of 121 m with a midship rate of 12 tonnes/m run and a finished
steel weight of 2750 tonnes. Estimate, as a first approximation, the steel weight for a new
similar design that has an LBP of 125 m and a midship rate of 12.25 tonnes/m run.
5 The following information is known for a basic General Cargo ship and a
similar new design:
Estimate the steel weight for the new design after modifications have been made to the
basic ship’s steel weight for Main Dimensions, CB, proportions, sheer and residual
additions.
Table : Warship Weight Group and Cost Items