With the ice cap diminishing rapidly on the Arctic Sea, the opportunity of using the Northern Sea Route (NSR) increases correspondingly. However, the climate and presence of ice on the NSR sets additional requirements, which represent an additional investment cost for the ship owner who’s potentially willing to use the NSR. These additional investment costs, mainly represented by the ice classification, may be up to 12 % higher on total ship cost, depending on ice class, see Polach, Janardanan, and Ehlers (2012). These estimates are however uncertain, as are many other specifics of operating on the NSR; the degree of ice presence, the future fee cost on the NSR, insurance and additional maintenance cost together with varying operational time on the NSR. Numerous of assessments to determine the potential cost advantage of using the NSR as a transit route have been conducted throughout the recent years. These are, however conflicting in their conclusions and a final answer to the question is therefore lacking. Therefore, this thesis presents a decision support model (DSM) that can be used to support and assess the question of using the NSR or not based on own costs and available information. The DSM takes into account amongst others; ice conditions, the vessels parameters and its performance in ice, the operational window on the NSR, the initial investment cost of the vessel, and finally the operational and voyage costs. All these variables are changeable, and therefore the potential user of the DSM can alter them and see its effect on the calculated output, which are, amongst others: the ship merit factor (SMF), the life cycle cost (LCC) and the required freight rate (RFR).In addition to the developed DSM, a scenario where investing in a new ice classed vessel for use on the NSR in the summer season when there is less ice, and navigating the Suez Canal Route (SCR) the remaining annual operational time is presented. Through a brief assessment on the cargo flow between East-Asia and Europe, it was decided to implement the DSM for container shipping, as this is the main traffic on the route which could benefit from the shorter distance provided by the NSR. Based on this decision, how to combine the fixed schedule of liner shipping with the uncertainty of the NSR has been discussed. Here it has been concluded that the best way to combine the two routes for liner shipping is to slow steam the NSR when the ice conditions are favourable. Furthermore, the design requirements for ships navigating on the NSR have been reviewed in addition to the limiting parameters and constraints of the route. These and other special requirements for NSR navigation have been summarized and compared versus the open water requirements of the SCR. In order to implement performance in ice and open water into the DSM, prediction methods for brash ice resistance, net thrust and open water resistance have been studied. These formulas, in addition to schedule, fuel, operational and voyage costs, cargo amounts and other calculations have been implemented in the DSM. With the DSM developed, it has been evaluated through sensitivity calculations to ensure that it behaves reasonable when input parameters are altered. Moreover, two case studies have been conducted, both using the established scenario of using the NSR in addition to the SCR. In the first case study, the performance of a SCR vessel fitted with an ice class and the other requirements needed is assessed for the different ice classes of the Finnish Swedish Ice Class Rules (FISCR). In the second case study, the possibility of optimizing the design of the first case study to fit the schedule and route better, and thus yield more profit, is investigated through the DSM.Under the given assumptions and input used, all the FSICR classed vessels are found to be more profitable using the NSR in the summer season than the same vessel without ice class navigating only the SCR. However, with the profitability declining as the ice extent and thickness grows, the dictating element on NSR profitability is the ice conditions. The 1A ice classed vessel have been found to be the best alternative of the FSICR vessels, when also taking into consideration the ice capabilities of the 1A ice class with respect to ice thickness. Results of the second case study show that having an optimized vessel for the specific route and schedule is important in order to maximize profit as the optimized 1A ice classed vessel show better performance in all calculated results and ice scenarios.The economic advantage of using the NSR under the given scenario is however marginal. And the potential user of the NSR must therefore take into account the additional risk and uncertainty in terms of ice navigation and unforeseen expenses of using the NSR, before making the final decision. With increasing traffic over the recent years, it is well established that using the NSR is technically feasible. Nevertheless, in order to have shipping on the NSR on a regular basis, one must first and foremost have ice conditions that permit safe, economic and consistent navigation. Secondly, there must be a consistent fee system, which does not take away the benefit of the shorter distance in addition to shorter lead-time for booking NSR assistance. With these prerequisites in place, use of the NSR can be beneficial financially and in terms of reduced emissions.

Operations research has proven itself to be advantageous in several areas of the industry for many years, but is operations research a good approach to operational maritime planning? Expressions used to calculate the initial stability of a vessel are often non-linear. Optimisation models demand linearity, and approximated linearisations of the proven stability formulas needed to be developed. This was arguably found to be the biggest challenge when modelling the cargo stowage optimisation model. The characteristics of the RoRo shipping industry have been examined to gain a better understand of the segment. Further, some methods for calculating the initial stability of floating bodies have been presented for the readers that are not already familiar with this area of science.The thesis has used a published optimisation model as a foundation for further expansions. The model is a mathematical formulation of a cargo stowage problem in the RoRo shipping segment, where a predetermined vessel ships mandatory and optional cargoes from fixed loading ports to unloading ports. The reference model controls the vertical and transverse stability of the vessel by imposing constraints that are linear approximations of stability formulas. The model was expanded to ensure the longitudinal stability of the vessel as well. Additionally, the definitions of the existing vertical and transverse stability constraints were altered to provide more accurate co-ordinates for the expanded optimisation model.The computational study showed that the original model was able to find the optimal solution faster than the expanded model. The stowage flexibility was also better than for the expanded model, and the revenue generated was equal or higher in the original model for all scenarios. This was because the expanded model is of a greater size than the original, and is much more constrained in terms of stowage on the various decks. The expanded model divides the decks on the vessel not only into lanes, as the original model does, but also into slots. It can therefore ensure the longitudinal stability of the vessel as well. In addition to this, the lanes and slots in the expanded model are subject to lower and upper bounds for width and length, respectively. The original model allows the width of a lane to take values from zero up to the total width of the deck. In the original model, the size of the set of lanes therefore does not dictate the division of decks into lanes. This was found good for stowage flexibility, but is problematic to defend from a stability and safety perspective.

The overall aim of this case study is to find the most cost-effective strategy for complying with the IMO’s MARPOL Convention Regulation 13 & 14 in the Baltic Sea Emission Control Areas (ECAs) in the period from 2015 to 2035. The alternative compliance strategies considered are:- Scenario 0: Use Marine Gas Oil (MGO with 0.1% sulphur) to comply with the sulphur requirements, no other abatement measures installed, but an assumed NOx-taxation applies;- Scenario 1: Use Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO with 2.7% sulphur) and add scrubber and SCR to reduce SOx and NOx emissions, respectively;- Scenario 2: Use Marine Gas Oil (MGO with 0.1% sulphur) together with an SCR; and- Scenario 3: Use Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), single fuel or dual fuel.The following route is established: Helsinki – Zeebrugge – Antwerp – St. Petersburg – Kotka – Helsinki. The total distance for the roundtrip is 3654nm. 48 roundtrips are completed every year.Based on the specific fuel consumption for the engine and the sulphur content in the fuel, the sulphur emission factor for each scenario is calculated. The amount of SOx emitted from the ship is found by summarizing the product of the engine load, the engine size, the ship’s estimated time at sea and the emission factor. The NOx emission limits for the ship engines in relation to their rated engine speed given in revolutions per minute. The NOx emission factor is assumed to be constant at 55 kg NOx per ton fuel. Investment analyses are performed for a ship type both as new builds and as retrofitted. Operational costs include: fuel costs, lubricating oil costs, maintenance and repair/replacement costs, environmental taxation and educational costs (where applicable), among others. Scenario 0 is chosen as reference point based on the fact that it has the lowest investment cost among the scenarios. The cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) relative Scenario 0 is found from the following formula:CER[EUR/tons]=(Differences in PVC between Scenario 0 and Scenario X)/(Differences in emissions between Scenario 0 and Scenario X)=∆PVC/∆EThe following conclusions are drawn from the cost-effectiveness analysis: - The scrubber in combination with SCR is a favored compliance strategy for IMO’s requirements, both for new builds and retrofits. It has the lowest fuel costs (HFO prices are low and stable) and the lowest present value of total costs among the scenarios outlined.- Having an engine running on MGO is not considered cost-effective. MGO prices are high, and are expected to increase even more. NOx abatement technologies are needed in addition.- LNG is a cost-effective solution, and it is the most environmental friendly alternative. Retrofitting vessels to run on LNG, however, is expensive. The LNG dual fuel technology is a flexible solution, and makes it more economic for the ship to trade outside the ECAs.- The cost comparison between the different scenarios depends largely on the future development of fuel prices.- Modal shift to either rail or road could be a consequence.

This master thesis addresses the maritime fleet size and mix problem (MFSMP). Finding the optimal fleet size and mix of ships for future needs is arguably the single most important decision of a ship owner. This thesis has examined the accuracy with which a developed mathematical formulation of the problem is at predicting fleet demand under various conditions. The FSM model that has been studied is an extension of a model already established by the MARFLIX project. Because of the thesis link to the MARFLIX project, the considered shipping segment is deep-sea Ro-Ro. For testing how accurate the FSM model is at creating a fleet that can handle complex routing constraints a deployment model has been developed. The consistency of the model under different time frames, varying bunker costs and effects of using continuous instead of integer variables in the FSM model was also tested.The major findings of the work was that the fleet proposed by the the FSM model, in its current form, often is undersized. The fleet size and mix problem is usually considered a strategic problem, with time horizons up to several years. However, this particular model performed better for shorter time frames. Using continuous variables on the different trips undertaken by the fleet proved to have little impact on the fleet composition, but the loss of a vessel could occur. The method proved, however, to be significantly faster than the using integer variables. Changes in the cost of fuel had immense impact on the fleet composition, and one should always be clear on the effects of fluctuations in fuel costs have on a fleet. In general, when the price increased the fleet got larger and slow steamed a larger portion of the fleet.Further work should be made on improving the routing capabilities of the FSM model. In its present form the model cannot be relied upon as the only means for establishing the actual optimal fleet. It can, however, be used as a guidance

Denne rapporten omhandler alternativ utførelse av ei bruplate i et hullkassetverrsnitt i betong. Det er gjennomført lastberegninger og utført dimensjonering i både brudd- og bruksgrensetilstand for platas tverretning. For begge grensetilstandene er det utført en sammenligning mellom tradisjonell utførelse og utførelse med 0,5 vol.-% stålfiberarmering i kombinasjon med stangarmering. Det er gjort beregninger for to ulike platebredder. Den utkragede delen er holdt konstant lik 1600 mm, mens beregninger for midtfeltet er gjort med både 5100 mm og 6300 mm spenn. Platetykkelsen er valgt til 350 mm.Alle lastberegninger er utført i henhold til Eurocode 1, mens materialparametre og dimensjonering er utført etter Eurocode 2. For dimensjonering med armert fiberbetong er det brukt foreslåtte dimensjoneringsregler fra Coin Project Report 29. Beregningene er i hovedsak gjennomført med håndberegninger.Resultatet av beregningene viser at bruk av stålfiberarmering i kombinasjon med vanlig stangarmering gir redusert behov for armering i alle tverrsnittsdelene. Den største reduksjonen fås i forbindelse med rissviddebegrensning. Her gir bruk av 0,5 vol.-% stålfiberarmering en halvering i nødvendig armeringsmengde i midtfeltet. I bruddgrensedimensjoneringen viser beregningene en reduksjon på ca 17 % lengdearmering. Skjærstrekkapasiteten økes med ca 40 %.

The purpose of this thesis is to derive a new model to calculate the compression capacity of timber loaded perpendicular to the grain in Ultimate Limit State (ULS). The different parameters included in the capacity formulas, are found by various compression test conducted at the Department of Structural Engineering (KT) during the spring of 2014. Some of the parameters have been determined directly from data collected from the compression machine, while others required the usage of optical measuring techniques. It was derived two different models for calculating the compression capacity perpendicular to the grain in this thesis. The first model is based on the strain field generated in the wood, and the second on the total energy required to reach a defined fracture criterion.The two models give some variation in the carrying capacity, compared to the values calculated with the current regulations in Eurocode 5 part 1-1. For smaller loading lengths the current regulations gives a capacity that is quite high, compared to the new models derived in this thesis. This is because the current model has rules that allows the applied load to be distributed over an effective area, which can lead to a carrying surface that is twice the size of the actual loading surface. When the loading length are getting larger, the new models will stabilize towards values of the capacity that is similar or larger to the ones found with the current regulations. It has also been derived a model for calculating in Serviceability Limit State (SLS), which provides the opportunity to determine the desired deformations in a connection based on own preferences.

Erfaring tyder på at modellering av ulike typer konstruksjoner i DAK-program utføres forskjellig avhengig av hvilken bedrift man jobber i og hvilke forutsetninger man har for å drive analyse i dataprogrammer. Det er lett å bli naiv når man holder på med slike programmer og man forventer fort at programmet gjør alt riktig og analyserer nøyaktig. At programmet gjør det riktig er i og for seg en god påstand, men spørsmålet er om brukeren har gjort det riktig.For å finne svar på hvordan modelleringen avgjør hvor kreftene i konstruksjonen ender opp har det blitt gjort analyser på normale bygg med en bærestruktur vi kan anse som fornuftig. To strukturer er undersøkt etter at randbetingelsene er modifisert for å utligne 3D-effekter som dukker opp og skal tvinge konstruksjonens oppførsel i modelleringsprogrammet inn i ønsket stilling uten å forvrenge virkeligheten. Forsøk på å finne en generell fremgangsmåte som er uavhengig av antall etasjer utføres også.Selve prosessen med fullstendig dimensjonering av bygget i henhold til øvrige norske standarder er utført i programmet da det er i stand til å utføre rene statiske analyser slik at konstruksjonen tåler påkjenninger som vind, snø og generelle laster man forventer i slike bygg. Fokuset ligger på å se helhetseffekten som randbetingelsene gir bygg i av denne typen. Av den grunn må opplistede dimensjoner av konstruksjonsdeler ikke sees som endelige, men heller som benyttet til oppgavens formål.

Det er benyttet systemidentifikasjon for å verifisere Svinesundsbroas dynamiske egenskaper. Ti tøyningsinduserte tidsmålinger har blitt analysert for å kunne si noe om broas fire første egenfrekvenser, egenmoder og demping. resultatene for egenfrekvensene viste seg å være veldig stabile, mens for demping var usikkerheten stor. Samtidig ble det også modellert opp en elementmodell. Målet med denne modellen var å danne et best mulig bilde av den ekte broa. Måten det ble gjort på var å kalibrere modellen opp mot resultater fra analyse av tidsmålingene. Med de forenklinger som ble gjort, og de antagelsene som ble tatt, kom modellen akseptabelt nær den ekte broa.

Rapporten er en videreføring av en tidligere studentoppgave. I videreføring av arbeidet, er det sett på bakgrunnen for regler som gjelder for forankringsstenger med og uten fot. Forbindelser og bjelkeinnfestninger i betongkonstruksjoner utføres ofte med innstøpte forankringsstenger av stålbolter, armeringsstenger eller dybler påsveist eller boltet til en stålplate. Det er utført undersøkelse for stålinnstøpningsdetaljer i betong, i form av litteraturundersøkelse, oppstilling av beregningseksempler, sammenligning av regler, deltakelse i laboratorieforsøk, FE analyser og sammenligning av utvalgt geometrier og forbindelsesløsninger. Det er tatt utgangspunkt i tekniske spesifikasjonen CEN/TS i forbindelses med kapasitetsberegning. Det viser seg at CCD-metoden er mest korrekt for dybler med fot, men det er manglende regler for forankringsstenger uten fot. FE analysen gir en indikasjon på hvordan normal- og skjærkreftene fordeler seg i stålplaten og ut i betongen, og ser ut til å stemme godt overends med antatte teorier etter CEN/TS. Resultatene fra laboratorieforsøket med eksentrisk skjærbelastning av innstøpt stålplate med forankringsstenger uten fot viser at det er betongens strekkapasitet som er avgjørende for den totale kapasiteten til knutepunktet. Bruddet som oppstår er en kombinasjon av heft- og spaltebrudd i betong. Betongens kapasitetsformler i CEN/TS er konservative.

This master's thesis contains studies on moment capacity of fibre reinforced concrete in load-bearing structures. The primary focus has been testing of full scale beams with steel fibres, both with and without additional reinforcing bars. The properties of both the fresh and hardened concrete have also been studied and measured in accordance with current standards and regulations.The concrete used in the experiments was self compacting with a fibre content of 80 kg/m3 corresponding to 1 vol-% of the concrete.In addition to laboratory experiments, calculations were performed according to current guidelines for design of fibre reinforced structures to estimate the expected behaviour of the beams.The thesis also includes literature study focusing on the use of fibres in concrete, material composition, moment capacity and crack development of fibre reinforced concrete.