Advanced Joining Techniques in European Shipbuilding

Joining processes are an important key factor for the competitiveness of European shipbuilders. They not only represent a significant portion of the total man hour consumption in hull production and outfitting, but due to heat distortions they also have a significant impact on nonproductive work operations, such as straightening and fitting. Those operations can interfere with on-board outfitting and increase lead time and construction cost. In addition to their contribution to shipyard productivity, joining techniques have a significant impact on material properties and thus on product performance and quality. Those factors become increasingly important for complex structures using comparatively thin and high-strength materials. Considering the importance of efficient joining, European shipbuilders in the past decade have invested significant efforts to develop new joining techniques, such as laser welding, adhesive bonding, and mechanical joining. Based on research results, practical industrial applications have been developed recently. After reviewing the impact of joining processes on competitiveness, the article will summarize a number of past and ongoing research projects with special focus on design methods, process and equipment development, fatigue strength of joints, quality assurance, and approval. It will then present a number of recent applications of new joining techniques in European shipyards. Finally, open problems and future research needs will be briefly discussed. The article is based on a joint effort of leading European experts and will focus on laser and laser hybrid welding, adhesive bonding, and mechanical joining