Designing ships and other floating structures such as oil and gas platforms is a specialized field. Sector-specific challenges not only include consideration of hydrodynamic loading and the need to meet the design spec and safety requirements imposed by relevant authorities, but also issues such as corrosion impacts on structural integrity, evaluation of in-service damage due to collisions and grounding, and the development of safe operating envelopes. At the same time, design teams remain subject to the broader commercial pressures that apply throughout the engineering and manufacturing industries. Identifying the most efficient design solution as quickly as possible is an imperative.

For designers facing this complex array of questions, general purpose finite-element analysis (FEA) tools typically have an important role to play. However, for most projects, they are unlikely to provide a complete simulation and optimization solution. MAESTRO, a new addition to the Altair Partner Alliance, was developed precisely to fill this gap. Originally launched by MAESTRO Marine LLC over thirty years ago, this structural design, analysis, and evaluation software solution is dedicated to the specific needs of the shipbuilding and marine industries. As such, it very much reflects the talents of the team behind it, which include wide-ranging expertise and experience across naval architecture and marine engineering.

MAESTRO can rapidly generate a finite element model of an entire ship

Explaining the company’s decision to join the Altair Partner Alliance (APA), Tobin McNatt, chief executive officer for MAESTRO Marine, said, “Users of Altair products such as Altair HyperMesh™ will now be able to assimilate the purposed-designed capabilities of MAESTRO into their ship design projects, quickly and easily. By leveraging the synergy between general purpose optimization and simulation software and the specialized functionality of MAESTRO, designers will be ideally equipped to create more advanced and technically efficient solutions that meet all the necessary regulations.”
“To ensure it is as accessible as possible, we have re-packaged MAESTRO specifically for the APA design community. Three core modules have been created, each of which is tailored to the needs of a particular type of user,” said McNatt.

• MAESTRO Basic includes the graphical modeler for developing MAESTRO structural finite element models, analysis, and full post-processing capability.
• MAESTRO Hydrodynamic Loading and Analysis includes MAESTRO-Wave, a potential flow-based seakeeping and hydrodynamic loading code that is fully integrated with the MAESTRO finite element model.
• MAESTRO Structural Optimization supports a multi-level, collaborative optimization process for ship structures ranging from a single stiffened panel to a full-ship model using multi-objective, heuristic-based optimization.

MAESTRO creates more advanced and technically efficient solutions

Often regarded as one of the more traditional branches of engineering, shipbuilding, and marine are in fact highly dynamic sectors. For example, innovative new applications such as ocean energy platforms are being driven by global demand for renewable power sources. Moreover, the regulations and technical requirements imposed by authorities are subject to frequent change.
“Our relentless focus on this single area ensures that MAESTRO is updated continually to reflect new practices, new challenges and new boundaries,” explained McNatt. “By embracing the APA, we are providing users of general purpose FEA with new freedom to harness the specialist benefits of MAESTRO. Even more significantly, they can realize the exceptional added value that is generated by combining the two.”
For more details on MAESTRO’s design, analysis, evaluation, and optimization tools for floating structures, click here to register for our introductory webinar, scheduled on June 17, 2020.