The modern high-speed aluminum alloy ship is not fundamentally different from the steel ship in the overall performance design. But in material selection and structure design, it is more complicated than steel ship. In recent years, high speed aluminum alloy ships have developed rapidly in the world, and new structural forms of aluminum alloy materials appear successively. In the structural design, the two factors are considered: the load and corrosion environment of the hull joint.

The biggest difference between the aluminum alloy hull structure and the steel hull structure is the stiffened plate, the plate with a single direction is produced, which is marine grade aluminium sheet with ribs.
Benefit of aluminium sheet with ribs:
Compared with the traditional plate frame welded by MIG and TIG, the aluminium sheet with ribs has obvious technical and economic benefits. With the structure of aluminium sheet with ribs, the surface smoothness and flatness are much higher than the traditional plate frame, the aesthetic effect of ship surface is increased. The application of aluminium sheet with ribs can significantly reduce the consumption of welding materials, and the consumption of conductive nozzles and gas nozzles will produce certain economic benefits.

Application range of marine grade aluminium sheet with ribs:
1. deck structure
The deck of each superstructure (flat and arched) and the main deck structure.

2.The outer wall of an interior wall.
The direction of profile with Aluminium sheet with ribs:
In order to give full play to the inherent performance of the Aluminium sheet with ribs structure, the arrangement of the structural system should be changed into the customary practice in the traditional plate frame. When the Aluminium sheet with ribs is used, the direction of the profile is suitable for the longitudinal direction of the ship, and the stability and the fixation and support of the door and window can be remarkably improved.
The problem of vertical and horizontal frame:
It is necessary to make full consideration of the space between the profiles of the aluminium sheet with ribs ,and the plate frame composed of the aluminium sheet with ribs profile and the transverse frame.

Application of transition section:
The structure with double curvature in the ship structure still uses the traditional plate frame structure, so there is bound to exist between the traditional plate frame and the marine grade  aluminium sheet with ribs structure. The structure of this region is a transitional structure.

Bending process of aluminium sheet with ribs for shps:
(1)    the bending section perpendicular to the inside, such as with rib sections arranged along the longitudinal direction of aluminium plate with ribs for ships along the beam bending is no problem, as long as the beam web and a profile corresponding gap, after the installation, the natural formation of beam arch.
(2)    for the structure with large radius of curvature in the direction of the profile, the bending structure can be obtained through the processing of the profile. However, any hyperbolic structure can not be used with aluminium sheet with ribs for ships.

Mechanical behavior of aluminium sheet with ribs:
Friction stir welding is widely used in the manufacture of wide aluminium plate with ribs. It is of great adaptability and low cost. It is the development direction in the future.