STRENGTHENING OF OPENING IN A WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD

In order to maintain the efficiency of a watertight bulkhead it is desirable that it remains intact.
However, in some instances it becomes necessary to provide access between compartments on
either side of a watertight bulkhead and watertight doors are fitted for this purpose. A particular
example of this in cargo ships is the direct means of access required between the engine room and
the shaft tunnel. In passenger ships watertight doors are more frequently found where they allow
passengers to pass between one point of the accommodation and another.

Where a doorway is cut in the lower part of a watertight bulkhead care must be taken to maintain
the strength of the bulkhead as follows:

The actual opening is kept as small as possible.

The opening is to be framed and reinforced if the vertical stiffeners are cut in way of the
opening.

If the stiffener spacing is increased to accommodate the opening, the scantlings of the
stiffeners on either side of the opening are increased to give an equivalent strength to that
of an unpierced bulkhead.

Simple strengthening could be seen in the below illustrations wherein the opening has been
provided with a watertight hinged door.

This door structure 18 is arranged in an opening in a

bulkhead portion 20. In order to strengthen the
opening in the bulkhead portion 20 and to facilitate
the installation, a strengthening member 22 with a T-
shaped cross section is welded in the opening. A
door panel 24 is hingedly attached to the frame 22,
which is welded into the bulkhead 20 of the ship, by
means of hinges 26.

The door 24 consists of a flat plate 28, which is

strengthened by web plates 30 and a frame
portion 32.

The peripheral edge 34 of the flat plate 28, is bent,

substantially flat and extends over the
frame 22 towards the bulkhead portion 20. As a
result, the flat plate 28 covers the whole opening in
the bulkhead portion 20.

In the frame portion 32, a gasket 36 is arranged,

which cooperates with a knife blade 38, which
extends peripherally from the frame 22. In a closed
position of the door 24 the gasket 36 and knife
blades 38 provide a watertight closure of the
opening.