Finite Element Analysis of the Global Strength of FRP Yacht with Sandwich Structures

The codes and regulations provided by the major ship classification societies for computing strength of fashionable FRP yacht are very rare.Therefore,designers turn to the direct method to compute the structural stre ngth.Based on the study of FRP yacht,a finite element model of full yacht was generated by software ANSYS with layered shell elements to treat composite materials and sandwich structures as well as to compute the struc tural strength of the full model.The methods used in the paper have provided some advices on how to perform direct computations of FRP yacht in a right way and therefore are of practical values.The two loading methods applied in this paper,impulsive forces and hydrodynamics,can also be used to perform finite element analysis for other similar boats of high speed.