ServiceFEM & Structural Analysis
LocationThe Netherlands
Year2020
Finite element analysis of the auxiliary spud system.
The challenge
On a cutter suction dredger, the spud system anchors the vessel against the reaction forces of dredging. The auxiliary spud structure had to carry those loads reliably, cycle after cycle.
Our approach
We modelled the auxiliary spud system in detail and analysed it under its governing load cases, identifying where stress concentrated and verifying adequate margins against class criteria.
The result
A spud system proven fit for the hard, repetitive work of dredging — refined where it mattered, left alone where it did not.