Experiment and numerical analyses for pressure distribution on deck under undercarriage load

  Objectives  Complex contact takes place between a deck and the undercarriage of equipment. The undercarriage load cannot simply be regarded as a uniform load. In order to investigate the pressure distribution between a deck and undercarriage,

  Methods  the nonlinear contact calculation of the undercarriage of a large piece of equipment is made using the finite element method, and the pressure distribution characteristics of the deck are analyzed. The distribution of the contact force is then verified through experiment. On this basis, a calculation method for replacing the undercarriage load with the equivalent wheel load is proposed which converts complex nonlinear contact calculation into linear elasticity calculation.

  Results  It is found that the contact force is mainly distributed on the web beam and the front of the undercarriage, and the latter exerts great stress on the deck. The contact force of the front end of the undercarriage is about 25% that of the total load. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical results.

  Conclusions  This simplified calculation method is practicable in deck design and strength analysis for similar kinds of ship.