Boldmar

Technology

EFFICIENT HULL DESIGNS AND TECHNOLOGIES – “AIR CAVERN”

The vessel production will be a new generation of proven “air cavern” hull technology that will be applied to yacht, commercial and military high-speed vessels up to 350 feet in length. In traveling, the vessel creates a stable excessive-pressure air cavity, which as the vessel moves, isolates a large part of the hull from contact with the water. The air cavity is maintained by special profiling of the hull body’s contour. This design affords 30%-50% higher fuel efficiency or higher speed over conventional hull designs.

The graph provides a comparison between conventional Deep-V hull design and the
“Air Cavern” hull design. The “Air Cavern” hull form (green line) has much less drag in comparison with ordinary deep-V hulls as indicated by the (grey and blue lines), thus the following performance increases can be expected:

30%-50% higher speeds using comparable power
30%-50% less fuel consumed at comparable speed
Greater sea-keeping ability

INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS – EXTRUDED ALLUMINUM PLATE

The application of extruded aluminum plate with integral stiffening ribs will greatly simplify the manufacturing of structurally sound hulls that are stronger and lighter than conventionally built hulls. The BMI approach is to use the extruded plate material with the “stringers” integrally formed into the plate, thus reducing the welding requirement by 40%.

The use of extruding aluminum plate stock with integral stiffening ribs will greatly simplify the approach for fabricating a structurally sound hull. Traditionally, a vessel hull is fabricated using robust transverse frames or “ribs” which represent the cross-section shape of the hull. These frames are located every few feet along the length of the hull.

In traditional hull fabrication, a series of “stringers”, small stiffeners, are welded to the rib frames in the longitudinal (lengthwise) direction. Eventually the hull skin is formed by welding the aluminum plate stock to the stringers, resulting in not only a significant amount of welding, but a lot of distortion and warpage of the hull skin due to the high heat input of the torch welding operations.

THERMAL FRICTION STIR WELDING

In the endeavor to forge new shipbuilding processes (PDF Article), BMI has formed strategic partnerships with key industry leaders. The National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) - The Louisiana Partnership, is a joint venture between NASA, the University of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. The structural design of the hull will incorporate the latest in lightweight, exoskeleton design methods proven by the aerospace industry as well as solid state, robotic controlled metal joining technology, developed Keystone Synergistic Enterprises, Inc. (Keystone).

Keystone is funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to develop and commercialize metal joining technologies for the stir joining of titanium plate material for future Navy shipbuilding needs. They are funded by the Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) to develop and commercialize innovative unitized structural designs for long range bomber and fighter aircraft enabled by advanced joining of aluminum alloys via friction stir welding. These unitized, lightweight designs and solid-state joining technologies are directly applicable to the fabrication of both aluminum and titanium yachts and ships.

It is conservatively estimated that utilization of these advanced design and joining technologies will reduce the manufacturing cycle time by over 50% when compared to conventional shipbuilding methods. NASA is utilizing these technologies to produce the external fuel tank for the space shuttle and Eclipse Aviation has proven the engineering soundness as well as the business efficiency of employing these technologies.

ROBOTIC SURFACE FINISHING AND PAINTING TECHNOLOGIES

BMI will incorporate in their robotic production cycle, Visions East, Inc.’s patented robotic system for preparing, fairing and painting yacht surfaces. The Sherwin-Williams Company, in conjunction with Visions East, is developing for the BMI production process, an industry first, robotic fairing/painting system that will achieve a high level of aesthetics. Computer programs manage the system allowing for 24/7 operation, reduced labor (up to 75%), safer working conditions, and less environmental impact. The automation of the marine coatings process will allow a controlled process, thereby eliminating coating failures and insuring that completion dates are met.

LEAN MANUFACTURING PROCESS

The latest in proven lean manufacturing practices is utilized throughout the BMI’s production line. Lean practices such as cellerized manufacturing, material Kan-Bans, just-in-time inventories, and material kitting will significantly contribute to further reductions in manufacturing cycle time and cost. This value added benefit, combined with the aforementioned technologies, promises to deliver to the consumer a highly efficient, strong yet lightweight hull, manufactured with the latest proven aerospace technologies adapted to the marine shipbuilding industry.