COI Pontoon Passenger Vessel
2022-Jun-02
Hydrofoil Design
2022-Jun-01Project Scope
We see cranes on ships all the time. Cranes for loading cargo onto ships. Cranes for the fishing industry. Cranes for civil engineering projects. Safe operation requires a stability analysis for each crane on a ship. Otherwise, cranes can easily overpower and capsize a ship. This stability analysis is a legal requirement for any construction project working for the Army Corps of Engineers. Unfortunately, a full stability analysis requires us to consider every possible configuration for the crane and analyze all those conditions.
The Army Corps of Engineers (COE) understands this better than anyone. Full crane analysis can generate dozens of conditions, all manually encoded into the GHS stability software. A full crane analysis can takes days or weeks. DMS created a better way. We developed a custom GHS module for the COE which automates the entire crane analysis: COE Crane. Now, a project that required days can be accomplished in mere hours.
Return on Investment
COE Crane offered a huge labor savings. Gone were the days of scanning through hundreds of GHS outputs. COE Crane automatically ran through hundreds of loading conditions in minutes. All results were summarized in a spreadsheet, showing the output of stability criteria for each condition. Rather than encoding each combination by hand, COE Crane allowed the engineer to input three separate categories of different conditions:
- Vessel loading conditions
- Crane configurations
- Crane position
- Crane boom elevation
- Crane hook load
- Crane swing angle
COE Crane then automatically created every possible combination from these lists and evaluated every single combination. In addition to summarized results, COE Crane also provided detailed report outputs to confirm all stability analysis.
Improved Accuracy and Capability
COE Crane also improved accuracy for the stability analysis, which adds to the crane capabilities. A manual analysis can't examine every single combination. So the engineer searches for worst cases and reduces crane capacity slightly to avoid excessive combinations. But with COE Crane, it takes no extra effort to evaluate hundreds of combinations. End result: you maintain the true performance of your crane throughout its life.
Flexibility
COE Crane allowed the COE to analyze a wide array of crane types:
- Excavator
- A-frame crane
- Extending boom crane
- Folding arm crane
- Crawler crane
And the program can be easily modified or enhanced. DMS provided the COE with a solid program for massive time savings, and the flexibility to ensure that program remained relevant for the future.
Related Services
Hydrostatics Modeling
Hydrostatic modeling is the first step in any stability analysis. DMS employs efficient hull modeling for efficient engineering.
Custom Solutions
Projects can be very unique. This is where DMS excels. We spent the last decade developing solutions to unique problems. I have a smooth process for creating solutions.
Stability Test
The stability test determines the weight and center of gravity for your ship, which is a critical first step in any stability analysis. At DMS, you get preliminary results on the day of the test.