Future trends in aluminium hulls

Future trends in aluminium hulls

Since 1891, aluminium alloys have been used in the shipbuilding industry for nearly a century. With the rapid development of the shipbuilding industry at home and abroad, the light weight of ships is being paid more and more attention to. Due to its low density, high strength and corrosion resistance, aluminium is very suitable for the harsh use environment of the sea. The processing cost of aluminium is lower, thus making it more economical to use aluminium to build ships. From a ship designer's point of view, a ship made of aluminium alloy can be faster and has a longer service life under the same power conditions. As a result, aluminium alloys for ships have seen rapid technological progress in recent years and offer a wide market for a large number of aluminium materials.

Advantages of aluminium alloys for ships.

1. Excellent welding properties. Welding has more obvious advantages than riveting, because in shipbuilding it is not possible to restore the properties lost through welding by means of reheating, while aluminium alloys have good welding crack resistance and the properties of the welded joints do not differ much after welding, which makes them very suitable for shipbuilding welding.

2. Excellent corrosion resistance. When aluminium comes into contact with air, it forms a dense, solid aluminium oxide film on its surface, which is very resistant to the erosion of various elements in seawater. Combined with anodising technology, aluminium alloys maintain a very stable form in seawater.

3. Low density and lightness. Aluminium is only one-third as dense as iron, and with the same hull size, an aluminium alloy hull will result in a lighter mass, which greatly benefits the high speed increase of the vessel as well as the fuel economy, resulting in a longer range with the same amount of fuel.

With more and more maritime activities, ships for trade or military use will be put to sea, and the future commercial prospects for aluminium hulls, with their unrivalled advantages, are undoubtedly very promising.