Evaluation of an Equivalent Design Wave Method to Define Lifetime Combined Loading Scenarios for Trimarans

The evaluation of marine system reliability requires the definition of the most extreme loading that a vessel is expected to experience. To quantify the risk levels associated with a full ship lifetime, some decisions must be made about which vessel scenarios are worth analyzing, i.e. the worst-case vessel scenarios. The problem is further complicated when considering extreme combined loading on a novel hull form such as a trimaran. To evaluate structural compliance with given acceptance criteria many classification societies suggest defining simultaneous load combination cases by an Equivalent Design Wave (EDW) method for use in a finite element model. This paper examines whether the EDW approach defines realistic lifetime combined loading scenarios specifically for a novel hull form like a trimaran.