Trouble Shooting

Finding solutions for unforeseen events

During construction or operational phase of vessels or offshore installations problems may occur. GL has a wide range of experience in finding solutions of unforeseen events.

Trouble shooting typically starts with cause investigation followed by identification of practical solutions. The investigations may include FE analysis and / or CFD analysis, measurements (strains, vibrations), material investigations, etc. Comfort issues can typically be addressed with state-of-the-art noise & vibration analyses supported by onsite measurements.

Trouble shooting can be performed by using the different special in-house knowledge. Some typical examples for trouble shooting are given below:

Damage / Integrity Analysis

Vibration induced cracks in ship structure & machinery components, e.g. at tanks and outfittings
excessive vibration of machinery components
fatigue cracks at structural details, e.g. at boilers or longitudinal hatch coamings
stiffener or plate field buckling caused by extreme cargo loads, wave loads or sloshing
erosion at rudder or propeller resulting from cavitation
pipeline rupture during installation process
residual lifetime assessment of assets
collision and grounding damages

Comfort Issues

sound and vibration limits specified are exceeded
annoying sound and vibration level phenomena in living or working areas
excessive sound immission levels due to the sound radiation of the whole vessel are complained e.g. by the port authority in harbour operation of the vessel
unacceptable acoustic quality or speech intelligibility in public spaces, control rooms, car decks, in the wheelhouse, etc
unacceptable acoustic privacy between public-to-living spaces or adjacent living spaces
annoying global vibration levels (hull), e.g. due to stern-slamming
annoying smoke created by the exhaust gas system
uncomfortable ship motions
inadequate HVAC system (temperature, air supply, air velocity or air humidity)

Operational Issues

manoeuvrability
ship speed and fuel consumption
loss of cargo in heavy seas
annoying noise and vibration levels in living or working areas
excessive sound immission levels due to the sound radiation of the whole vessel are complained e.g. by the port authority in harbour operation of the vessel
unacceptable acoustic quality or speech intelligibility in public spaces, control rooms, car decks, in the wheelhouse, etc
inadequate ventilation systems, e.g. in reefer cargo holds or engine rooms
investigation and expertise of accidents (e.g. ship collision on the river Elbe)