SENER, together with Navantia and others partners, were present at the presentation of the Intership Project results to the European Commission (EC) and the medium and small companies of the marine industry. The sessions took place during the last December in Delft (Holland).
In addition to the presentations of each Intership Subproject, leaded by the main project partners (Navantia, Fincantieri, Aker Yards, Meyer Weft, etc), six discussion tables were arranged in order to show and debate the results exposed. SENER took part in one of these tables carrying out presentations of the new Ship Spaces Management Tool (SSMT), aim of the Subproject I-4 (Early Design Methods and Tools).
Within the Intership Project SENER has played a significant role being one of the main technology providers of the following Subprojects, led by Fincantieri, Navantia and Aker Yards respectively:
- Intership I-2: CAD/PLM Integration Server Prototype (CIS)
- Intership I-4: Ship Spaces Management Tool
- Intership V: Tools for facilitating modules definition
Within the Intership I-2 Project – Collaborative Working Environment Tools and Implementation – and in the internal collaboration area, SENER has developed a CAD/PLM integration server prototype (CAD Integration Server-CIS), whose function is to integrate the Services Oriented Architecture with surroundings PML by means of web services (using the HTTP SOAP protocol).
The prototype allows basic functionalities for documentary management, for which a specified series of generic web services such as the types and classes of documents definition, creation and search of documents, check-in, check-out and the creation of document versions have been developed.
To check the prototype viability, SENER has made a demonstration integrating documentary management of the naval system CAD/CAM FORAN System together with ERP, and PLM systems, SAP and Windchill, with satisfactory results.
With the purpose of facilitating the integration with other systems, this tool allows importing ship forms in formats STEP AP216 and IGES format as well as exporting compartments in STEP AP215 format.
SHIP SPACES MANAGEMENT TOOL
SENER has developed a new tool for the management of spaces of the ship – Ship Spaces Management Tool (SSMT) – as a part of the Intership Project I-4.
This tool, focused on the definition of 3D ship spaces, incorporates features developed to facilitate the compartment of ship among the initial phases of the design. The possibility to store the modelling of ship spaces in a relational database allows access of different users to the model, which is a relevant contribution.
The spaces definition is carried out starting from existing surfaces, hull, decks and bulkheads of the ship. The definition can be made either on an individual basis (defining each space limit), by subdivision or using parametric spaces. In addition, the tool offers the possibility to subdivide automatically the existing ship zones, leading in the bulkheads and existing decks. These spaces are generated geometrically as solid and limited by trimmed NURBS surfaces.
SSMT lays out advanced model and 3Dvisualization functions that facilitate the ship compartments definition (see fig. 2). Compartments can be grouped hierarchically by means of trees with different characteristics (evacuation zones, accommodation area), being also possible to define user-configurable general attributes to assign different characteristic to the compartments.
The new tool has an integrated development environment that allows the access to the compartment trees, including spaces characteristics and the attributes either for the generation of reports or the development of specific functions for compartment design tests according with international regulations. It is possible to keep spaces from the initial design phases by means of macros and parametric objects.
MODULARIZATION TOOLS
In order to facilitate the use and definition of modules during the initial stages of the design, SENER has developed a series of specific tools as a part of the Intership Subproject V – Modularization. The aim of the first stage of the Subproject (Intership V-1) was a conceptual study to define the modules specification in a CAD/CAM system, and in particular in FORAN. During the second part (Intership V-2), the results were applied to the particular case of an engine room.
For the practical application of modularization, some parametrical adjusts and configurations could be required, but the design criteria and the methodology must be applied during the initial stages of the conceptual design, using the advanced tools to simulate the product and process.
The FORAN approach for the general and specific module concepts is done by means of the standard module and unit of module respectively, and incorporates new applications for a simplified or parametric geometric representation of attributes and connections. It can also be stored in configurable libraries. The access to the standard module is available from two different points:
- Simplified geometry, with a 3D simplified module representation, allowing certain parametric applications, and the evaluation of different design alternatives and its interfaces depending on the surrounding spaces. This approach is oriented for the first design stages and has already been implemented in FORAN.
- Detail 3D geometry, for the detail design developing with the aim of taking advantage of the serial effect when the design solution becomes generic
Finally, the simplification and coordination between disciplines and in particular between structure and outfitting, is a clear consequence of modularization in CAD/CAM systems.