Composite materials, technologies and manufacturing: current scenario of European Union shipyards

This paper provides the results and the analysis of a study conducted on the processes and technologies currently used by European Union shipyards, and their potential interest in new advanced composite construction technologies, including Adaptive Moulds, Automated Tape Laying, Automated Fibre Placement, Curved Pultruded Profiles, Additive Manufacturing, Hot Stamping, Modular and Serialised Shipbuilding and Digitisation of Production. A new set of indexes are also introduced with the objective of facilitating the evaluation of the technological level of the shipyard, thereby allowing the understanding of the shipyard's interest in new developments. The analysis of the survey conducted shows that almost the 95% of shipyards either currently use or plan to use composite materials, being the composites made of fibreglass and polyester resin the most used. These composites are mainly manufactured by manual lamination and vacuum infusion techniques. The survey has also shown that there is a high interest in the shipyard digitisation and the use of new technologies in the shipbuilding industry, especially for new construction shipyards. The study shows that despite shipyards want to adopt digitisation in engineering and design processes, implementation of new technologies and concepts is being held back by financial cost and uncertainty regarding outcomes such as improved operational efficiency of vessels. The shipyards that do not use composites are less technologically advanced than those that use them, according to the analysis of the technological indexes. This analysis has also shown that the shipyards with a high technological index have a more varied potential market offer.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1080/17445302.2023.2229160
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/17445302
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group 2023. Abstract reprinted with permission of Taylor & Francis.
• Authors:
  • Dolz, Montserrat
  • Martinez, Xavier
  • Sá, Daniel
  • Silva, João
  • Jurado, Alfonso
• Publication Date: 2024-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1157-1172
• Serial:
  • Ships and Offshore Structures
  • Volume: 19
  • Issue Number: 8
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis
  • ISSN: 1744-5302
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/tsos20

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Composite construction; Composite materials; Digitization; Fiberglass; Manufacturing; Polyester resins; Shipbuilding; Shipbuilding materials; Shipyards
• Geographic Terms: European Union
• Subject Areas: Construction; Marine Transportation; Materials; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01931431
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 19 2024 4:59PM