03/04/2023

Shell Plating
and Framing

A4
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• 1 . Plate Keel • 15 . Upper deck

2. Center girder 16 . Bilge keel
3. Center (line) strake 17. Bulwark plating
4. Side girder 18 . Frame
5. Horizontal margin plate 19. Tank side bracket
6. Inner bottom plating 20. Beam bracket
7. Bottom plating 21 . Deck beam
8. Floor 22. Shelter deck
9. Manhole 23. Horizontal stiffener
10 . Reverse frame 24. Gunwale angle
11 . Main frame 25. Bulwark stay
12 . Bilge strake 26. Hand rail
13 . Sheer strake 27. Hatch side coaming
14. Side plating

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Transverse Many, closely-

spaced Frames
Framing:
• Deck Beams tie
upper ends of
frames
• Fewer, deeper &
more widely
spaced
Longitudinals …
• Support Inner
Bottom & give
longitudinal
strength
Longitudinals
supporting Decks are called
(Deck) Girders
Additional Decks (supported by
Beams & Girders) increase
Transverse & Longitudinal strength
Transverse Bulkheads provide watertight boundaries, contribute significantly to transverse
strength, and provide vertical support for Decks

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Transverse Many, closely-

spaced Frames
Framing:
• Advantages
• Open, nearly rectangular interior space
• Ideal for stowing large, irregular, break-bulk
items, or
• Vehicles (Ro-Ro’s)
• Disadvantages
• Vertical support for decks requires more closely
spaced transverse bulkheads (hence smaller
compartments) or
• Pillars (stanchions) or
• Longitudinal bulkheads

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Longitudinal Deep (Web)

Framing: Transverse Frames

• Few &
widely
spaced
• Smaller,
closely-
spaced
Longitud-
nals support
shell plating
• Side shell
longitudinal
s call
stringers

Inner Bottom gives

additional longitudinal &
transverse strength
Girders in high-stress areas:
Double bottom spaces and …
Under main deck

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Longitudinal Deep (Web)

Framing: Transverse Frames

• Advantages
• Widely spaced transverse bulkheads allow for
large (i.e., long) continuous cargo spaces
(“tanks”)
• Ideal for stowing liquids (reduced free surface
effects)
• Disadvantages
• No large, open interior spaces
• Difficult to load or unload break-bulk items
• Difficult to stow large, irregular shaped items

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Framing Systems:
• Typically, most ships have some combination of
transverse & longitudinal framing
L L L L L L L L L L
Bulkhead STIFFENERS

TTTTT
UPPER TWEEN DECK

LOWER TWEEN DECK

TTTTTTTTTTTT
Stringer

(LOWER) HOLD
Web Frame
Typical
Transverse
Frames
SECTION
FLOOR
VIEW
CL PLAN VIEW
CL

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Double Bottom details:

Rider Inner Bottom Air- Margin

Plate (Tank Top) hole Plate

Frame

Bilge
Bilge
Center Limber Longitudinal well
Vertical Keel hole
“SOLID” FLOOR
Keel Outer Lightening
Plate Bottom hole

Reverse Frame “OPEN” FLOOR

Frame Longitudinal Strut

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Shell Plating details:

(Longitudinal) Rows of plating are called “strakes”

The Keel Plates form the “Keel strake”
The strakes outboard (P&S) of the Keel are the “A” Strakes or
“Garboard Strakes”
Strakes are consecutively lettered moving outboard and up the
side shell
“G”
Strake

“F” Strake
(Bilge Strake)
“B” “C” “D” “E”
Strake Strake Strake Strake
Keel
Garboard Strake
Strake (“A” strake)

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Shell Plating details:

(Longitudinal) Rows of plating are called “strakes”
Welded horizontal joints between strakes are called seams
Welded vertical joints between plates in a given strake are called butts
Strakes that do not run the entire ship length (as the hull surface area
decreases at the ends) are drop strakes
“K” Strake Sheer Strake
“J” Strake Through 

“H” Strake drop 

“G” Strake
Bilge (“F”) Strake

Strakes running stem to stern are called through strakes

An oversized plate merging a drop & through strake is a stealer plate
The strake at the deck edge is the sheer strake and is heavier than typical
side shell plating

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Openings in shell plating must:

*have rounded corners
*be reinforced to make up for missing material

… and on weather deck -- COAMINGS

portholes

Hatch openings below

decks
Watertight doors

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keel

• The principal structural member of a ship, running

lengthwise along the center line from bow to stern,
to which the frames are attached.

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pounding &panting

• Panting stresses is an in and out motion of the plating in

the bows of a ship and is caused by unequal water
pressure as the bow passes through successive waves.

• Pounding stresses exist when ships is pitching. Ship’s

bows lift clear of the water and come down heavily. It
causes damage to the bottom and girder at the bow.

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• Panting is the in-and-out movement of the shell plating that results

from variations in water pressure as the vessel pitches in a seaway.
Special structural arrangements are provided in the bow region to
strengthen the shell plating against this action. These arrangements
include:
1. horizontal plates welded to the sides of the vessel (known as
panting stringers)
2.transverse beams extending from side to side (known as panting
beams)
3. partial bulkheads
On some vessels, panting beams are replaced by perforated flats.
Perforated flats are flat plates, similar to decks, with round holes cut
in them.

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• Pounding results from the heaving or pitching of the vessel,

which causes the forward region to ‘slam’ down on the water. To
resist pounding, the shell plating is increased in thickness, frame
spacing is reduced, and additional side girders and solid plate
floors are fitted in the forward region.

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Bottom shell plating

• Throughout the length of the ship the width and thickness
of the keel plate remain constant where a flat plate keel is
fitted. Its thickness is never less than that of the adjoining
bottom plating.
• Strakes of bottom plating to the bilges have their greatest
thickness over 40 percent of the ship’s length amidships,
where the bending stresses are highest. The bottom
plating then tapers to the lesser thickness at the ends of
the ship, apart from increased thickness requirements in
way of the pounding region.

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Side shell plating

• The upper strakes of plating adjacent to the strength deck
is referred to as the ‘sheer-strake’.
• The connection between the sheer strake and strength
deck can present a problem, and a rounded gunwale may
be adopted to solve this problem where the plating is
heavy. This is often the case over the midship portion of
large tankers and bulk carriers.

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Side shell plating

• Butt welds are then employed to make connections rather
than the less satisfactory fillet weld at the perpendicular
connection of the vertical sheer-strake and horizontal
strength deck stringer plate. The radius of the rounded
gunwale must be adequate (not less than 15 times the
thickness) and any welded guardrails and fairleads are
kept off the radiused plate if possible

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1 . Center girder
2. Floor
3. Shaft tunnel
4. Tank top plate
5. Tank side frame
6. Hold frame
7. Shell plating
8. Upper deck
9. Transverse beam
10 . Deck girder
11 . Deck long .
12 . Water tight bulkhead
13 . Bulkhead stiffener
14 . Second deck

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15 . Manhole
16 . Inner bottom plate
17 . Tank side bracket
18 . Bottom long .
19 . Vertical stiffener
20 . Beam bracket
21 . Deck beam
22 . Tween deck frame
23 . Stringer plate
24 . Bulwark plate
25 . Bulwark stay
26 . Derrick post
27 . Screw shaft

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Components of Framing
• frame: On side plating, running vertically (up and down)
• beam: Under decks, runs transversely
• transverse: Under decks (deck transverse) and on bottom
plating (bottom transverse) but not in Double Bottoms. Runs
transversely but much heavier in construction than a beam
• floors: Found only in double bottoms, running transversely
• stringer: On side plating and longitudinal bulkheads, runs
horizontally, forward and aft.

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• longitudinal:Found in longitudinally framed ships, under decks,

on side plating, on longitudinal bulkheads, on bottom plating
and under the tank too. These members run fore and aft
• girder: Found under decks and on the bottom plating. Girders
run forward and aft and are deep and heavy in construction.
These are important longitudinal strength members. Also
increase the breadth of the forecastle and provides space for
the mooring.
• scantlings: A ship construction term used generally to define
dimensions of various parts of the structure. Used to mean
breadth, length, diameter, thickness, height etc.

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Transverse Framing
1. This is system of framing is used in vessels of relatively
less length, where longitudinal bending moments are not
excessive. The framing system consists essentially of rings
of strengthening around the shell plating.
2. Under the deck, deck beams are fitted at every frame
space. A frame space is the distance between one frame
on the side plating to the next frame.
3. On the side plating, frames are fitted to stiffen the plating.
The deck beams are connected to the frames on the side
by means of beam knees. Beam knees are very efficient
connections as compared to joining the bean directly to the
frame.

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Longitudinal Framing
1. This is a common method of framing found in long ships
usually those exceeding 100 m in length. The system is
designed to withstand longitudinal bending moments, which
are pronounced in long vessels.
2. The main feature of strengthening in this system is the
longitudinal , an L shaped stiffener, which is fitted under the
decks, on the side plating, on the bottom plating under the
tank top and on the longitudinal bulkheads as well. The
longitudinals run the full length of the vessel, from forward
to aft, providing longitudinal strength..

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Transverse Framing of single deck hull 1. deck plating

2. sheer strake
3. side plating
4. bilge strake
5. bottom plating
6. centerline vertical keel
7. flat keel
8. side keel
9. beam bracket
10. deck longitudinal
11. frame
12. web frame
13. side longitudinal bracket
14. bracket
15. beam
16. transverse bulkhead plate

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Longitudinal Framing of hull 1. upper deck

2. deck girder
3. deck longitudinal
4. top side plating
5. web beam
6. horizontal stiffener
7. web beam
8. bracket
9. side longitudinal
10.longitudinal bulkhead
11.web frame
12.Strut
13.Bottom beam
14.Hold bracket
15.Bracket beam
16.Bilge keel
17.Longitudinal Frame
18.Side keel
19.Bottom Plating

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