Lightweight Ships from Ti

[SloopJohnB 322]

http://www.marinelink.com/news/business ... 43678.aspx

[rigger 47]

Interesting.

 

Ti offers a 40% weight savings compared to steel—lightweight designs can be achieved that offer increased payload capacity, reduced fuel consumption and reduced carbon emissions

Good points for commerial operators.

 

It has a low magnetic signature, which means you can reduce heavy and power-consuming degaussing coils to protect against magnetic influence mines.

Important for warships not so much for commercial shiping at present.

 

It has temperature resistance, so it’s safer for structures like gas turbine exhaust systems.

Good, might have applications for certain cargoes thus allowing further weight reduction.

 

And Ti is virtually corrosion-free in seawater, so it can be cost effective for sea water piping systems such as cooling water and firemain.

Big plus - have many times had to replace pipework at the 20year mark, or earlier.

 

“This is the bottom line,” he says. “If a hull lasts 50% longer, say 60 years instead of 40, you get the same service life as three conventional hulls for price of two titanium ships.

Not many 30year plus ships in service as a total percentage. I worked for one company that apparently did it's first ever 6th* special survey (30th year) around 2005, they owned some 600+ ships.

Saying that they now have a number of vessels approaching or just past the 7th.

* they did operate one vessel for 50+ years but it could not work beyond coastal water - was not subject to Class rules

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.kastenmarine.com/metalboats.htm

[Guest]

Wasnt Ti banned from offshore racing boats because it becomes brittle and prone to failure when cold?

[wheels 543]

There are a lot of perhaps's and maybe's in that article. I imagine the one major hurdle in biulding a ship is it will be too rigid. Something that big needs to be able to twist and bend. The article sounds more like "we went to a seminar where some Dude with lots of letter after his name talked about lots of possible ideas fro biulding ships in the Future. One cool sounding material was Ti. It must be good stuff, because it can do all sorts of neat stuff".