OVERVIEW

The Thesis addresses the verification of the preliminary design of a merchant ship. The ship design is divided in chapters corresponding to the main topics constituting the so-called design spiral.

Each chapter is presented by a teacher responsible for that topic. Within the thesis candidates apply all the engineering disciplines addressed during the course to the solution of a specific test case.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Preliminary design of a ship by teamwork supervised by professors.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completion of the thesis the candidate will be able to:

• apply engineering methods learned within the course to the verification of the preliminary design of a ship.
• carry out computations required within the first iteration of the ship design process.
• Implement main technical drawings attached to the design of a ship.
• Present and discuss in a technical report the problems addressed, the methods employed and obtained results.
• Discuss in oral form the content of the design presenting and defending choices and hypotheses adopted, while recognizing the interdependency within the topics constituting the design of the ship.
• Present in oral form, with supporting slides, the content of the design activity discussing specific details.

PREREQUISITES

The thesis requires the application of all the knowledges acquired within the bachelor degree course, with specific focus on subjects concerning engineering and specifically naval architecture and marine engineering. Hence the achievement of these competences is mandatory to undertake the thesis and the graduation exam.

TEACHING METHODS

Classroom lectures and home practice. Home assignments are executed by students in groups of maximum five students. Somme of the input data vary within the group to stimulate critical thinking.

Each chapter is associated to a teacher responsible for the relevant topics, usually the teacher corresponds to the one in charge for the degree course teaching addressing competences required for that chapter.

The teacher responsible for the chapter teaches the relevant lesson, supports the students and assesses their work.

Students with valid certifications for Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs), disabilities or other educational needs are invited to contact the teacher and the School's contact person for disability at the beginning of teaching to agree on possible teaching arrangements that, while respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning patterns. Contacts of the School's disability contact person can be found at the following link Comitato di Ateneo per l’inclusione delle studentesse e degli studenti con disabilità o con DSA | UniGe | Università di Genova

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The thesis work is subdivided in chapters concerning the main topics of ship design. These are:

1. Lines plan
2. Hydrostatics
3. Hull resistance
4. Propeller selection and verification
5. Load line
6. Selection of the main engine
7. Capacity plan
8. Ship plants
9. Hull scantling
10. Hull girder loads and strength
11. Trim and stability assessment

The contents of the single chapters involve competences and topics constituting the content of the degree course teachings.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Teaching material and other data required to carry out di assignments is provided by teachers responsible of the various chapters and made available on the relevant AulaWeb website.

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lectures take place during part of the second semester, the detailed calendar is communicated to students by a teacher before the start of the lectures.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is made of two parts: the assessment of the assignments and the oral discussion of the assignment corresponding to one chapter during the graduation exam.

In the first part, the candidate has to present the assignments corresponding to thesis chapters to the relevant responsible teachers. The teacher discuss with the candidate some of the aspects concerning the assignment. Assignments are carried out by group work and can be presented as a group, however candidates are individually responsible for their work.

During the second part, the candidate present one of the chapter during the graduation exam. The candidate has to present adopted methods and procedures, discuss obtained results and answer to questions raised by the examination board. The chapters to be presented during the graduation exam are randomly assigned to the candidates and communicated about 20 days before the exam.

Based on the assessment of the thesis and its defence, a grade is attributed corresponding to maximum 8 points of the final graduation grade.

Teachers responsible of chapters assess the relevant assignments with a grade between 0 and 5.

The assessment of the whole thesis is consequently a grade between 0 and 5 resulting from the average of the grades attributed to single chapters.

The last 3 points are attributed by the examination board based on the thesis presentation and defence during the graduation exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The first step of the assessment corresponds to the submission of the assignments corresponding to  chapters and it is done by the teacher in charge for that chapter. The assessment takes into account of the completeness of the assignment, the consistency of results and drawings, and the quality of the candidate oral and written presentation, including discussions and answers to the teacher’s questions. This step allows also assessing the individual contribution of the candidate to the presented work.

During the graduation exam, the examination board assess the candidate’s ability to thoroughly present one part of the ship design with the help of slides and to conduct a technical discussion with questions and answers on the presented topic, involving the main relevant engineering concepts.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For additional information please contact the responsible teacher (Giorgio Tani), or teachers responsible of specific chapters (contacts are available on the website https://rubrica.unige.it/):

1. Lines plan: Diego Villa
2. Hydrostatics: Michele Viviani
3. Hull resistance: Dario Bruzzone
4. Propeller selection and verification: Marco Ferrando
5. Load line: Giuliano Vernengo
6. Selection of the main engine: Raphael Zaccone
7. Capacity plan: Paola Gualeni
8. Ship plants: Silvia Donnarumma
9. Hull scantling: Tatiana Pais
10. Hull girder loads and strength: Enrico Rizzuto
11. Trim and stability assessment: Paola Gualeni