A benchmark study of procedures for analysis of axial crushing of bulbous bows

Simplified methods to estimate mean axial crushing forces of plated structures are reviewed and applied to a series of experimental results for axial crushing of large-scale bulbous bow models. Methods based on intersection unit elements such as L-, T- and X-type elements as well as methods based on plate unit elements are employed in the analyses. The crushing forces and the total absorbed energy obtained by the simplified analyses are compared with those obtained from large-scale bulbous bow experiments. The accuracy and the applicability of these methods are discussed in detail. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.