Watertight Bulkheads

SHIP CONSTRUCTION
WATERTIGHT BULKHEADS
• TRANSVERSE WATERTIGHT BULKHEADS ARE
SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL TRANSVERSE
STRENGTH MEMBERS OF A SHIP.
• VERY STRONG IN CONSTRUCTION AND HELP

MAINTAIN THE TRANSVERSE FORM OF THE
SHIP
• SPACING AND NUMBER OF BULKHEADS
• DEPENDS ON THE SHIPS LENGTH AND
POSITION OF HER MACHINERY.
• THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM NUMBER OF
BULKHEADS ARE TO BE FITTED.
• THE FORWARD – MOST, TRANSVERSE
WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD IS THE COLLISION
BULKHEAD.
• THIS IS THE STRONGEST BULKHEAD AND
DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE VESSEL IN CASE
OF COLLISION.
• USUALLY FITTED .05 TO .075 OF THE LENGTH
OF THE VESSEL FROM THE FORWARD END.
• THIS BULKHEAD IS PLACED AS FAR FORWARD
AS POSSIBLE TO MAXIMISE CARGO
CARRYING CAPACITY.
• THE SPACE FORWARD OF THIS BULKHEAD IS THE
FORE PEAK TANK.
• ABAFT OF THIS BULKHEAD IS THE FIRST HOLD
OR TANK.
• THE AFTER PEAK BULKHEAD IS SITUATED AFT
AND SERVES TO ENCLOSE THE STERN TUBE IN A
WATERTIGHT COMPARTMENT.
• THEN TWO BULKHEADS ARE FITTED AT THE AFT
AND FORWARD OF THE MACHINERY SPACE
• IF THE MACHINERY SPACE IS AFT ENOUGH
THEN THE AFT BULKHEAD CAN SERVE AS THE
AFT COLLISION BULKHEAD ALSO.
• THE CARGO SPACES ALSO NEED TO BE

SUBDIVIDED SO THAT THE VESSEL CAN
SURVIVE BEING BILGED ANYWHERE ALONG
HER LENGTH.
• A SHIP 105M IN LENGTH WOULD HAVE 5 OR
6 BULKHEADS DEPENDING ON THE POSITION
OF MACHINERY SPACES.
• A 145M SHIP WOULD HAVE 7 OR 8
BULKHEADS.
• SUBDIVISION RULES SPECIFY THE
SEPARATION AND NUMBER OF BULKHEADS
TO BE FITTED ON A SHIP.
• FUNCTIONS OF THE PRINCIPAL WATERTIGHT
BULKHEADS
• ACT AS STRENGTH MEMBERS OF THE HULL
GIRDER.
• RESIST THE TENDENCY OF THE HULL TO
DEFORM TRANSVERSELY.
• LONGITUDINAL BULKHEADS CONTRIBUTE TO
LONGITUDINAL STRENGTH.
• WHEN THE HULL EXPERIENCES TRANSVERSE
STRESSES , LIKE RACKING OR UNEVEN
LOADING TENDING TO DEFORM THE HULL
THE TRANSVERSE BULKHEADS RESIST THIS
TENDENCY.
• TO SPREAD HULL STRESSES OVER A LARGER

AREA TRANSVERSELY
• SUBDIVISION – DIVIDES THE VESSEL INTO
SMALL SPACES SO THAT IN CASE OF
FLOODING AFTER COLLISION OR GROUNDING
THE INGRESS OF WATER IS RESTRICTED.
PREVENTS PROGRESSIVE FLOODING AND
FOUNDERING OF THE VESSEL.
• FIRE DIVISION - IN CASE OF FIRE, HELP
CONTROL THE SPREAD TO ADJACENT SPACES
• IN CASE OF LIQUID CARRIERS THESE BULKHEADS
REDUCE FREE SURFACE EFFECTS ON STABILITY.
• ESPECIALLY SO IN THE CASE OF LONGITUDINAL
BULKHEADS IN TANKERS.
• ALSO LONGL. BHDS REDUCE THE DYNAMIC
EFFECTS OF SLOSHING OF LIQUID CARGO IN
TANKS.
• HELPS TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF FIRE TO
NEIGHBOURING COMPARTMENTS.
• SEPARATION OF DIFFERENT CARGOES CARRIED IN
HOLDS OR TANKS.
• SEPARATION OF MACHINERY SPACES FROM CARGO
SPACES.
• LONGITUDINAL DECK GIRDERS AND DECK
LONGITUDINALS ARE SUPPORTED AT BULKHEADS.
IN THE ABSENCE OF THE BHDS THE STRUCTURES
WOULD GO UNSUPPORTED FOR LONG STRETCHES
CAUSING THE DECK TO CAVE IN.
• IN ORDER TO FULFIL ABOVE FUNCTIONS
SUCCESSFULLY THE WATERTIGHT BULKHEADS
MUST EXTEND FROM THE BOTTOM PLATING
TO THE BULKHEAD DECK (UPPERMOST
CONTINUOUS DECK )
• CONSTRUCTION OF BULKHEADS
• CONSTRUCTED OF PLATES JOINED TOGETHER
BY WELDING AND STIFFENED BY VERTICAL
AND HORIZONTAL STIFFENERS.
• AS WATER PRESSURE INCREASES WITH

DEPTH , THICKNESS OF THE PLATING IN THE
LOWER PART NEEDS TO BE INCREASED
ACCORDINGLY.
• PLATES ARE GENERALLY JOINED TO ONE
ANOTHER HORIZONTALLY , AS THIS ENABLES
PLATES OF INCREASING THICKNESS TO BE
JOINED EASILY VERTICALLY.
• PLATE THICKNESS WILL DEPEND ON THE SIZE
OF STIFFENERS USED.
• IN PRACTICE PLATE THICKNESS COULD RANGE
FROM 7MM AT THE TOP TO 12MM AT THE
BOTTOM.
• PLATE BULKHEADS WOULD USUALLY BE
STIFFENED VERTICALLY WITH ANGLE BARS ,
CHANNELS OR OFFSET BULB PLATES.
• THE SCANTLINGS OF THE STIFFENERS DEPEND
ON THEIR UNSUPPORTED LENGTH , STIFFENER
SPACING AND TYPE OF CONNECTION AT THE
ENDS. NORMALLY THE STIFFENERS ARE
CONNECTED TO THE DECK AND BOTTOM BY
DIRECT WELDING OR BRACKETS.
• SEPARATION BETWEEN STIFFENERS IS ABOUT
750MM TO 760MM.
• THE PLATING OF THE BULKHEAD IS
CONNECTED TO THE SURROUNDING PLATING
– DECK, SHIP SIDES , TANK TOP BY DOUBLE
CONTINUOUS FILLET WELDING AFTER BEING
DOUBLED AT THE EDGES.
• MODERN SHIPBUILDING PRACTICE ENABLES
MORE EFFICIENT BULKHEADS THAN PLATE AND
STIFFENED BULKHEADS IN THE FORM OF
CORRUGATED BHDS
• SINCE THE PLATES ARE CORRUGATED THE
BULKHEADS NEED NOT BE FITTED WITH
STIFFENERS. USUALLY ,THE CORRUGATION IS
VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL FOR TRANSVERSE
BULKHEADS AND HORIZONTAL FOR LONGL. BHDS
• IN AREAS WHERE IT IS DIFFICULT TO CONNECT
THE CORRUGATED BULKHEAD DIRECTLY TO
THE SHELL PLATING, A FLAT PLATE WITH
STIFFENING MAY BE FITTED AT THE SIDES.
• ANOTHER METHOD OF STIFFENING A PLATE
BULKHEAD IS BY SWEDGING THE PLATING
ITSELF.
• SWEDGES ARE SMALL TROUGHS MADE IN THE
PLATING HENCE NO STIFFENING REQUIRED.
• IN ORDER THAT WATERTIGHT SUBDIVISION AND
TRANSVERSE STRENGTH IS CONTINUED BELOW THE
TANK TOP. THE DOUBLE BOTTOM IS FITTED WITH A
WATERTIGHT FLOOR UNDER IT.
• BULKHEADS WHICH FORM PART OF OIL- CARRYING

TANKS WILL BE OF HEAVIER SCANTLINGS AND SHOULD
BE OILTIGHT. THIS IS BECAUSE IT MAY BE NECESSARY
TO CARRY A FULL TANK WHILE THE ADJACENT ONE
MAY BE EMPTY RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL PRESSURE
ON THE BULKHEAD FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME.
• ADVANTAGES OF CORRUGATED BHDS
• BETTER STRENGTH TO WEIGHT RATIO
• CHEAPER
• HOLD CLEANING EASIER
• LESS BROKEN STOWAGE
• PENETRATIONS IN BULKHEADS
• WHEREVER A WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD HAS TO
BE PIERCED TO PERMIT A STRUCTURAL
MEMBER OR PIPING TO PASS THROUGH ,
PRECAUTIONS HAVE TO BE TAKEN TO ENSURE
THE BULKHEAD REMAINS WATERTIGHT.
• THE AFT ENGINE ROOM BULKHEAD IS PIERCED
TO ALLOW THE PROPELLER SHAFT TO PASS
THROUGH . A WATERTIGHT GLAND IS FITTED
AROUND THE PROPELLER SHAFT.
• BESIDE IT AN OPENING IS PROVIDED FOR HUMAN PASSAGE
BY A WATERTIGHT DOOR.
• WHERE PIPES AND ELECTRIC CABLES PASS THROUGH A

BULKHEAD THE INTEGRITY OF THE BULKHEAD MUST BE
MAINTAINED. HERE THE PIPE IS FLANGED AND BOLTED TO
THE BULKHEAD.
• ALTERNATIVELY, THE PIPE IS PASSED THROUGH A BRASS

GLAND AND NEOPRENE PACKING ,THE GLAND BEING
SECURED TO THE BHD WITH BOLTS AND FELT WASHERS
• IF THE PIPE PENETRATES THE COLLISION
BULKHEAD THEN IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE A
MANUAL SCREW-DOWN VALVE (OPERABLE FROM
THE MAIN DECK) MUST BE FITTED ON THE
FORWARD SIDE OF THE COLLISION BULKHEAD.
• IN THE CASE OF AIR DUCTS THESE ARE PASSED
VERTICALLY THROUGH THE DECK.HOWEVER IF A
BHD IS PIERCED A SLIDING WATERTIGHT SHUTTER
IS PROVIDED.

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Watertight Bulkheads

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SHIP CONSTRUCTION

• VERY STRONG IN CONSTRUCTION AND HELP

• THE CARGO SPACES ALSO NEED TO BE

• TO SPREAD HULL STRESSES OVER A LARGER

• AS WATER PRESSURE INCREASES WITH

• BULKHEADS WHICH FORM PART OF OIL- CARRYING

• WHERE PIPES AND ELECTRIC CABLES PASS THROUGH A

• ALTERNATIVELY, THE PIPE IS PASSED THROUGH A BRASS

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