In spite of the widespread use of stiffend plates in ship structures, it is very difficult to analysis these directly. So, in conventional analysis of plate structures, above structures are used to be idealized as orthotropic plate or grillage structures. Lately, the development of large computers, it is able to apply the optimum techniques to structural design. In this paper, the double bottom structure of Bulk Carrier was idealized into flat grillage which is composed of intersecting beam stiffencers primarily loaded mormal to its surface. And strength analysis was carried out by using the finite element method based on displacement. And further, according to variation of floor space and double tobbon heightm, the optimum design was carrid out by using Hooke and Jeeves direct search method.

• 박명규