The Elements of Boat Strength Scantling System （船的元素力量结构系统）.pdf

IBEX Session 501 - 2010 838 West End Ave., Suite BB New York, NY 10025 USA - 212-864-7030 The Elements of Boat Strength Scantling System by Dave Gerr, © 2010 Dave Gerr , CEng FRINA It has been over 10 years since The Elements of Boat Strength was published in 2000 . In all that time and all the many, many boats built to this rule, I have yet to learn of a single structural failure. That’s a pretty good record. As The Elements of Boat Strength scantling system now has a ten-year history of successful use and is quite simple to apply, it seems a good time to review what the rule is, how it came to be, how it should be applied and how it relates to a few other scantlings. We’ll also look at some of the things I’d adjust in The Elements of Boat Strength scantling system. Since almost everything in this system references the “scantling number” (Sn), I’ll refer to it as the “Sn scantling system,” “Sn system or rule,” or the “Sn process.” Also —as I’ll explain —I have used aspects of this basic system for years before the book’s publication. Acceptance of the Sn System and Questions A number of naval architects and marine engineers have found the Sn system useful and reliable. The Elements of Boat Strength is also used as a text in the U.S. Naval Academy, Dept. of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering. One engineer, said of Sn system: As a degreed aerospace engineer, Ive used the formulas in this book to easily calculate the scantlings for aluminum hulls from 14 to 30 in length, without exhaustive structural calculations or the need for finite element analysis software. Properly applied, you can build your boat with confidence that it will perform safely in the operating limits described. Are ther