Strength and stability of the marine evacuation system made of an elastic composite material
Object and purpose of research. Obtaining of the analytical relationships sufficiently accurate for strength, stiffness and stability analysis of the structural members of marine evacuation systems at the research design stage. Materials and methods. All necessary formulas were derived from the relationships of the ideal cable theory andmechanics of elastic shells.Main results. The paper formulates the conditions for ensuring strength, strain capacity and local buckling, the latter being reduced to elimination of the compressed areas during bending. The internal pressure is shown to be directly dependent on the external load. The paper also shows that the area near the cargo location is the most hazardous in terms of strength, sagging and stability. The study also identified non-classic buckling forms (corrugations). Conclusion. The paper suggests the strength and stability calculation procedure based on the linear approach and intended for the marine evacuation system bottles made of elastic orthotropic material. The obtained relationships are convenient for analysis in research design of marine evacuation systems and meet the engineering accuracy requirements. Gutter-type marine evacuation systems made of modern elastic materials are shown to have no future aboard high-sided ships: innovative technolo- gies and design solutions are needed.