Abstract
One of the main methods of building LNG tankers uses the Moss spherical tank design since it can be precisely analyzed with respect to reliability and safety of construction by stress analysis. Aluminum alloy 5083 is generally used in the Moss spherical tank design for the wall in constructing the LNG tanker. This aluminum alloy does not have low temperature brittleness, but has good corrosion resistance, good weldability, and excellent material properties for the application. The Moss spherical tank is constructed with several sections of A5083 thick plate with curved surfaces, which are welded together. It is essential to predict the amount of springback for the deformed thick plates in design to insure a reliable construction because the structure needs to be assembled into a perfect sphere. Unless the initial construction meets the design, there are additional processing costs for reworking to meet the specifications as well as a cost penalty paid to a consumer. In this paper, FE analyses were conducted to predict the amount of springback for various forming conditions and forming processes. The various forming processes were evaluated with respect to reducing springback and compared with the conventional forming process used for curved surfaces of thick Al plate.
