Big Ship Steel Plate Curving Process

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by rwatson, Dec 26, 2018.

  1. rwatson
    Joined: Aug 2007
    Posts: 6,163
    Likes: 495, Points: 83, Legacy Rep: 1749
    Location: Tasmania,Australia

    rwatson Senior Member

    These videos of large ship construction amaze me, but I was really taken with the part where they have to curve thick steel for the hull (near the end, at about 39:07 minutes) Totally awesome.

    Curvers.png

     
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  2. sharpii2
    Joined: May 2004
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    Location: Michigan, USA

    sharpii2 Senior Member

    I believe the process is called "Line Heating". I first saw it done when my class went to a shipyard which built steel workboats. We saw a man with a blow torch and a water wand. The forman, taking us on this tour, said that fellow was making $100 an hour. By selectively heating and cooling the plate, he was able to get it to buckle in a very controlled fashion. This is a way to put a compound curve in a flat steel plate without expensive plate rolling gear.
     
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  3. jehardiman
    Joined: Aug 2004
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    Location: Port Orchard, Washington, USA

    jehardiman Senior Member

    Hardest job in flange turning is actually straightening something. While there is skill required for heat and quench, to form the curves is fairly easy in the "thin" (for shipbuilding) plate. Notice the soapstone layout lines... those conic development lines and the wooden lifts were picked up off the loft floor so it is just a matter of shrinking each line until the plate matches the lift then dog it down to the frame and weld it up. To straightening something by flange turning requires much more experience.
     
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  4. CDBarry
    Joined: Nov 2002
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    Location: Maryland

    CDBarry Senior Member

    If you Google "line heating" and chirillo you will find the late Lou Chirillo's report on the process done for NSRP.
     
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