The Impact of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Constructions on Risk Level onboard Large Passenger Ships

Abstract: The main objective of this project was to determine how a FRP composite structure performs compared to a steel structure in regard to fire safety and risk level during an evacuation. More specifically the objective was to study how the differences in the thermal properties influence the smoke layer height, visibility and the temperature of the gases in the early stages of a fire. This was done by performing several FDS simulations and analyzing the results from these. In order to evaluate the difference in risk level, the time until critical conditions occurred was compared between the FRP and steel cases. The results showed small differences in time until critical conditions for the smoke layer height and visibility while the temperatures also showed only slight differences near the fire but larger differences further away and as time went by. This led to the conclusions that there is a difference in risk level based on the reasoning that time until critical conditions further away also matter. However, additional research is needed in order to determine if the difference is significant or not.