engineering fenders

ELASTOMERIC CHARACTERISTIC
AND PIANC-2002
FENDER TESTING GUIDELINES
Indian company, IRM Offshore and Marine come to refer to the dealing of those materials certain chemical bonds along the chain.The
Engineers Pvt Ltd is a well known fender which show a behavior intermediate between balanced vulcanization introduce cross links
manufacturing company and puts in those of liquids and solids. In rubbers, the elastic distributed randomly throughout the material
continuous effort for improving the products, element forms the continuous phase but and build up a three dimensional network
processes and testing methods for fenders. encompasses frictional viscous elements. Such structure. Controlled spatial distribution of
In this article Dr Sujit Datta,Senior Technical materials are termed visco elastic.When they network structure throughout the rubber
Manager at IRM offers a commentary on are deformed, the viscous element consumes vulcanizate helps to resist flow and thus balance
the PIANC-2002 Testing Protocols. energy and retard the elastic deformation; the viscous component as well as partly
similarly energy is dissipated when the elastic overcomes the irreversible deformation.The

T
esting Protocols for evaluation of Fender phase returns in the process of strain recovery elastic component (responsible for recovery
Performance and reporting in PIANC- and releases its stored energy.The viscose from a given deformation) of rubber vulcanizate
2002 guideline can be briefly classified in element or internal frictions are thus responsible (visco elastic material) responds instantaneously
two main categories, (A) Type approval testing for the energy difference or hysteresis between and does not dissipate energy, but viscose
where influence of berthing conditions and work recovered and expended.The superimposed flow or relaxation requires time in dissipating
environmental factors like temperature are elastic and viscous behavior of rubbers is clearly energy proportional to the deformation rate.
discussed and (B) Verification and quality demonstrated during cyclic deformation. Consider At low deformation frequency the viscose
assurance testing where the discussion is based a rubber fender subjected to a sinusoidally element will operate but contribute little and
on different compliance testing.Type approval varying deformation. During a deformation the stress will be almost in phase with the
testing mainly deals with “in the lab” simulation half cycle - from zero deformation, through a deformation. As the deformation frequency is
testing of a scaled down model of a fender of maximum, to zero deformation - the rate of raised the dissipative effort will rise sharply
specific size under different conditions.These deformation and hence the viscous force is a and the stress will become increasingly out
variables are: maximum at zero deformation and zero at of phase with the deformation and largely
a) Variable Velocity - Velocity Factor maximum deformation.The force due to such dependent on the rate of straining or deformation.
b) Variable Ambient Temperature - Temperature cycling may be elastic owing to the deformation PIANC-2002 guideline for establishing the
Factor or viscous owing to the rate of deformation. performance data corroborate the principles
c) Variable contact / berthing angle - Effect of Each of these force components will be in phase of visco elastic material such as rubber. It
contact angle with its contributing process and therefore demonstrates the process of evaluation of
900 out of phase with each other in the cycle; performance parameters like reaction force
Rubber - the visco-elastic material their vector sum is the resultant force which and energy absorption at different strain rates
Solid rubber elements of different profiles are is parallel to the rate and extent of the or berthing velocities. Different initial velocities
one of the integral components of fendering deformation. In an ideally elastic material, all have been taken into consideration to evaluate
systems, used in berth side application for stress is due to strain and is in phase with the the velocity factor on scaled down model
commercial and naval vessels. Rubber fenders deformation; in an ideally viscose material, fenders of specific size.Velocity factor thus
are available with several variations of its material the stress is in phase with the rate of straining evaluated in a laboratory simulation test on
besides shape and sizes.The “visco-elastic” or deformation. In visco-elastic materials, the model fender can be applied on actual size
behavior of rubber is exploited in the selection resultant stress magnitude lags behind the fender to calculate corrected performance
of rubber fender, being an energy absorbing deformation by a phase angle; the more viscose parameters in practical use. In most practical
element. Completely elastic materials require the material, the greater the lag and hence situations the frequency of deformation of
the same stress, which was applied during the phase angle.The response of rubber to imposed actual fender is low and thus a pre-assumption
last moment of deformation, to maintain the stresses is governed by a characteristic parameter is made in guideline that the deflection (berthing)
deformation indefinitely and do not show any with the dimension of time, which is called frequency of not less than one hour i.e.,
dependence on the rate of deformation. In the relaxation or retardation time, and defined as maximum deformation cycle is one per hour.
case of liquids, deformation in the static sense the ratio of viscous modulus to elastic modulus This assumption greatly reduces the effect of
does not exist; progressive deformations are of a rubber vulcanizate. viscous component on overall performance
not recovered and energy cannot be stored of the fender and thus the resultant property
in the liquid or regained. Instead, the process
Necessity of velocity correction tends to be more elastic at different deflection
of deformation requires force, and the work Raw rubber consists of a large number of rates. As a result the magnitude of deviation
done in this irreversible process is quantitatively flexible long chain molecules possessing a of performance parameters at different
dissipated as heat.The term “visco-elastic” has structure which permits free rotation about deformation rates from that at RPD deformation
 fenders engineering

rate is low. Further the balanced compounding

and state of vulcanization can produce the
rubber article with optimized elastic-viscous
component, which perform within a close
tolerance (e.g., ± 10% of the performance
value at RPD velocity).
Velocity correction - an experiment
A laboratory evaluation has been tried to
establish the variation of key property of well
balanced rubber compound (e.g., modulus)
with variable strain rates followed by the effect
of strain rate on the properties of scaled
down model fenders of specific size. In this
experiment the modulus of elasticity of rubber
compound at different strains has been measured
at variable deformation rate e.g., 100, 200,
300, 400, 500 mm/min. Modulus factor and
strain ratio have been calculated as follows:
Figure 1: Modulus Factor vs. Strain Ratio Strain ratio = Strain Rate
Standard strain rate
(A moderate strain rate - 300 mm/min is taken
as standard strain rate)
Modulus Factor = Modulus of Elasticity at
a particular strain rate

Modulus at 300 mm/min

Figure 1 shows the variation of modulus factor
of modulus at different strain (50, 100, 200 &
300%) with strain ratio.Very marginal variation
of modulus factor with the strain ratio is
observed for all four modulus. Scale down
model fenders (Cell & Cone fender of 100mm
height are manufactured from the same rubber
compound and deformed up to 55% for cell
fender and 72% for cone fender at different
strain rate as stated above. In both the cases
(Figures-2 & 3), the variation of both reaction
factor as well as energy factor is marginal with
Figure 2: Reaction and Energy Factor vs Strain Ratio (scale down cell fender)
the strain ratio. Reaction factor and energy
factor are determined as follows:
Reaction factor = Reaction at a particular
strain rate

Reaction at standard strain

rate (300 mm/min)
Energy factor = Energy absorption at a
particular strain rate

Energy absorption at standard

strain rate (300 mm/min)
The above laboratory evaluation demonstrates
that the performance of rubber compound can
predict the different performance parameters
of actual fender if made up of same rubber
compound at variable conditions.
Temperature effect
Figure 3: Reaction and Energy Factor vs Strain Ratio (scale down cone fender) A property of visco-elastic materials like rubber
 engineering fenders

shop level the testing can be carried out at

specified velocity, temperature and angle and
the performance can be adjusted as per the
corrections factors arrived at during the
prototype testing.

About IRM Offshore &

Marine Engineers Pvt Ltd
☛ Established in 1964, having extensive
experience of manufacturing entire range
of Marine Fenders and Offshore Rubber
Engineering Products.
☛ Becoming the first Fenders and Offshore
Rubber Product manufacturing company
in this part of the World having complete
IMS (ISO 9001 : 2000, ISO 14001 : 2004,
OHSAS 18001 :1999) certified by
Germanischer Lloyd GmbH - Germany.
☛ Having valid Manufacturers Capability
Certificate (MCC) certified by
Germanischer Lloyds - Germany to
manufacture any type and size of Solid
and Pneumatic Fenders available in today’s
Maritime World.
☛ A corporate Member of PIANC.
☛ Offers the widest range of Marine Fenders
and Rubber Engineering Products for
offshore platform installation and
Figure 4: Service temperature range of different rubbers protection.
is that they progressively stiffen as the ☛ Products and process conform to
temperature decreases. PIANC-2002 guideline
Verification testing various international standards like ASTM/
for type approval test also considers this fact. The second part of the guideline deals with BS/ ASME/ PIANC/ AWS/ ISO/ and DIN.
It suggests the method of evaluation of verification / quality assurance testing of actual ☛ Fully Integrated quality management
temperature factor over a wide temperature fenders as well as the importance of evaluation system to ensure best quality of products
range i.e. -300C to 500C. Figure 4 shows the of physical properties of rubber compound. and services.
service temperature range of different elastomer. Evaluation of physical properties of rubber ☛ Offers the full range of services- from
Variation of berthing angle also has influence compound and the performance of production / designing to manufacturing, testing,
on performance parameter i.e. reaction force actual fender is extremely important in view installation and maintenance.
and energy absorption.Variation of contact of real functioning. On site performance trial ☛ Well equipped Research, Development
angle has been taken into consideration over of actual fender under all possible real and Testing Laboratory approved by GL
a wide range from 30 to 200. Studies prevail environmental conditions is probably more - Germany.
that both the reaction force and energy effective than test on scale down model fender ☛ Globally networked for sales and services.
absorption value decrease with increase in under ideal laboratory simulated working as ☛ Worldwide acceptance.
contact angle. well as environmental condition. However at ☛ Impressive clientele and supply record.

About the Author

Dr Sujit Datta (M.Tech, PhD in Polymer
Science and Technology) is a Sr. Manager
(Technical) of IRM offshore and Marine
Engineers Pvt. Ltd - India, having substantial
experience in research & development as
well as manufacturing field. He has published
many papers in International Journals and
Conference. If you have any query related
to content of this article, feel free to
Compression testing of scale down model cone fender in high capacity computer controlled compression test equipment contact on [email protected]