Adhesively-bonded composite reinforcement used for repair or enhancement of steel structures
In order to assist ship owners, operators, yards an manufacturers, DNV offers world-leading expertise on adhesively bonded composites reinforcement used for repair and enhancement of steel structures.
The services are available for the maritime, naval, leisure and offshore industries.
This new technology allows avoiding hot work. Costly service interruptions normally associated with weld repairs can be avoided. Efforts to remove and reinstate sensitive outfitting such as cables, pipes, paint, floor and wall coverings etc can be reduced. Structural modifications to meet new or changing performance requirements can be achieved by reinforcing existing structure rather than replacing it. Composites materials are very-well suited for complex geometries like for instance intricate connections. Reinforcement plates can be made on the spot or prefabricated.
DNV expertise combined with this state-of-the-art technology provide a well-documented, safe and reliable repair as well as valuable understanding of the response of the damaged and repaired structures, including operational limitations and capacities.
The service consist of the following elements:
Feasibility: damage assessment, definition of repair requirements and feasibility study
Design: modelling and analysis of the repair, materials screening, materials characterisation and selection of patching process
Qualification: component testing to directly demonstrate the performance of the repair
Fabrication: quality assurance, survey and follow-up of commissioning
Operation: inspection, monitoring and troubleshooting
These services are based on DNV’s extensive know-how on FRP (fibre-reinforced-plastics) composites, adhesive bonding, damage and fracture mechanics, and hull structural response.
Adhesively bonded composites reinforcement can also be used for repair or enhancement of composite structures.
These advisory services are not part of any class requirement, and can therefore be applied to any vessel classed by any class society.
DNV Recommended Practice for composite reinforcement of FPSO structures are planned to be released in 2008.