Abstract

The function and purpose of the marine rubber fender, to prevent the damage of the ship and the mooring while the ship is being attached to the pier. However, maintenance of the fender after installation is not enough, because it is generally handled as an attachment facility. Estimation the life of a marine rubber fender is important in the maintenance of a port. When manufacturers design and produce marine rubber fenders, they do so according to various conditions such as the reaction force acting on the hull and docking vessel and deformation after absorbing the kinetic energy of the ship. In this study, a method for predicting and evaluating service life from the product design and development stage was established, in order to evaluate the durability of the marine rubber fenders. The SSp-300H and HSP-300H models were used to predict the service life. The method developed in this study, is expected to predict the service life of the marine rubber fender accurately and in a comparatively shorter time, thereby contributing to the evaluation standard and quality stability of the product.

Keywords: marine rubber fender;finite element analysis;maximum strain;fatigue test;service life prediction