This is the most complex area of the Directive and certainly the most difficult to complete for those not familiar with naval architecture or structural engineering. To make matters worse, at this moment in time, the ISO standard for calculating structural strength (ISO 12215-5) is far from complete.
Many Notified Bodies will not yet recognise ISO 12215-5 calculations. Some will recognise only shell panel calculations from this standard but will not recognise stiffeners.
CE Pro includes the means for calculating shell panels using ISO12215-5 and will add more details as the standard is updated and more widely accepted.
After an introduction page which introduces the types of material, structural arrangement and design category conditions, CE Pro then details the available options from ISO 12215-5. This is not as simple a task as it may seem! All the following calculations are required just to identify which calculations may be performed:
The above is reported to a table from which the user selects the preferred method of calculation.
Under the Full Method, CE Pro presents the user with a materials data sheet (one each for metals, wood and composites).
Users can add their own materials and properties if required but the tables already carry data with the origins of the data referenced.
After defining materials, the user with a composite boat is asked how many different laminates are required. CE Pro can manage a maximum of 6. The User is then presented with a sheet for each laminate on which they select the plies from the materials defined above. This stage is not necessary for a metal or wooden boat.
All boats then must be assessed panel by panel. A different sheet for each of the bottom, topsides and deck asks the user to define the panels to be assessed. CE-Pro then assesses the structure.
It is to be noted that with ISO12215-5 stiffeners are not yet being accepted by some certifiers. CE Pro does not, yet, calculate an entire structure of a boat. An external structural report will therefore be required. This may be embedded into CE Pro, however, to maintain the single file approach.
Licensed users will be sent the updated version with stiffeners as and when the standards becomes acceptable to the Notified Bodies