Coursecode: mt727

Coursename: Shipyard Processes

ECTS creditpoints: 4

Subfaculty of Mechanical Engineering and Marine Technology

Lecturer(s): Ir. A. A. van der Bles

Tel.:  015-27 8 9296

Catalog data:

Shipyard processes, robots, engineering, data reusability, standardisation, modularisation, parameterisation, logistics, simulation, operational research, characteristics of one-of production, internal and external process parameters, market parameters, material flow, process optimisation, process modelling, productivity indices, assembly order, virtual manufacturing, scheduling, data exchange, integral product models, product configurators, product views, data association.

Course year:

MSc 1^st year

Period:

2A

Class hours per week:

2

Other hours:

Project work in groups of 2 to 4 students

Assessment:

Report + presentation + participation

Assessment period:

(see academic calendar)

Prerequisites:

3rd year Shipbuilding courses; : mtp302, mtp305

Follow up:

mt726, mt724, mt728

Detailed description of topics:

This course is directly linked to the ongoing research programme of the Chair of Ship Production and covers “capita selecta” of this subject. The binding theme is that of simulation, notably that of engineering and production processes. In view of the link with research, guest speakers will present (part of) their research. This also implies that the subject material may vary with the progress of that research. This set-up of the course requires an active interest on behalf of the student and a willingness to be exposed to new and sometimes still experimental developments.

CLASSES

Contents and order of lectures are indicative and subject to change without notice. Subjects are taken from:

¨       Introduction to course, introduction to planning of the course, expected deliverables, evaluation criteria, learning goals, introduction to project work, group division;

¨       Introduction to process simulation, introduction to process modelling tools (EM-Plant), activity trees, modelling;

¨       Production simulation at Flensburger Schiffbaugesellschaft, introduction, demonstration

¨       Robotisation, introduction to subject, robot technology and corresponding requirements, analysis of cost and benefits, capacity balancing, discussion;

¨       Engineering processes, introduction to subject, process modelling techniques (e.g. IDEF0), engineering process simulation, problems in concurrent engineering, relationship between product & process;

¨       Data reuse in design and engineering, standardisation and modularisation in ship engineering, problem statement, past achievements, analysis of engineering processes, pros and cons of standardisation and modularisation based on case studies;

¨       Data exchange in shipbuilding, integral product modelling, different forms of ship representation such as functions, zones, system, etc; international standards, shortcomings and current developments.

PROJECT WORK

The project comprises work of the students in groups of 2 to 4 students. They will all work on a similar project although on completely different parts of the shipbuilding process. These parts may e.g. cover pipe fitting, accommodation assembly, steel pre-fabrication or section assembly.

Objective of the project is to analyse and model the specified part of the shipbuilding operation. The goal of such a model would be: “To be able to analyse and visualise the specified shipbuilding process in terms of cost, throughput time, employed resources and corresponding risks”. Data provided for the project case could be a drawing of a (limited) part of the ship with corresponding product parameters. Alternatively it may cover a set of production drawings with relevant parameters. The team may further receive constraints relative to the available resources (personnel and equipment). The students will have to analyse the activity tree, the required resources, the corresponding events, etc.

Modelling is integral part of the project work, but may start from other existing models. The deliverable will be the documentation of a mathematical model and the interpretation of results. The instructor will specify typical functional requirements of a working model. Examples of functional requirements could be:

·         Change the available resources (e.g. personnel) and determine the consequences;

·         Change the delivery time for certain objects of the specified structure and determine the consequences;

·         Change some of the product parameters and determine the consequences;

·         Change the logic linking the activities by means of specifying different scenarios;

·         Change the parameters of the available facilities and determine the consequences, e.g. of a crane with smaller lifting capacity;

To this end the students must structure the model to describe the activities involved and investigate (part of) these activities in terms of necessary preconditions, resource usage, work time and product parameters. Subsequently the student is expected to model them in suitable relationships and integrate the model into a working simulation program.

Course material:

To be supplied during the course.

References from literature:

To be supplied during the course.

Remarks assessment, entry requirements, etc.:

The project is to be reported by means of a report per group covering at least the following subjects:

·         Problem analysis

·         Activity tree

·         Model structure

·         Mathematical modelling of various constituent activities, based on product parameters, resource constraints, available facilities etc.

·         Simulation results

·         Interpretation, conclusions & recommendations

Each group will present its model to the other students in the final class session. Grading is on the basis of this presentation and the quality of the report (presentation, scientific quality of the model, quantity of work done).

Learning goals:

The following learning goals are pursued. Upon completion of the course the student must be able to:

1.       Understand, analyse, investigate and evaluate the cause and effect relations which influence the building process and logistics for (a part of) the production and assembly process;

2.       Model (part of the) shipyard building process in terms of tasks, activities and events; and in terms of task duration, resource use and logical relations; and expressed as functions of product parameters, available facilities and resource constraints;

3.       Devise a simulation model or part thereof on the basis of the developed shipbuilding production process model;

4.       Understand the potential of robots for welding and evaluate the pros and cons of robots for ship production;

5.       Understand the role of engineering for ship production and qualitatively analyse potential improvement options offered by standardisation and modularisation;

6.       Understand the background to and evaluate the use and limitations of integral product modelling.

Computer use:

Em-Plant

Laboratory project(s):

None

Design content:

None

Percentage of design:  0%