The use of mock-ups and simulation in wheelhouse and bridge design
conference paper
This paper is a survey of a series of reports, sponsored by the Netherlands Ship Research Centre, the Royal Dutch Shipowners Organisations and the Netherlands Maritime Institute. It concerns ergonomics in bridge and wheelhouse design. The reports deal with bridge mock-up studies and an evaluation of bridge lay-out by means of simulation.
It is the conviction of the authors of this paper that in developing an ergonomic design of a ship's bridge, theory and practice should go hand in hand. Results based on theoretical concepts should alwys be fed back to people working in practical situations. Four different mock-ups were built, which were designed using ergonomic principles and based on mariners' opinions gathered from questionnaires. These mock-ups were judged by Dutch masters, mates and pilots and by a group of superintendents from several West European Countries. The results show strong effects with regard to lay-outs preferred by the pilots and to portions of lay-outs prelerred by the other groups. The shape of consoles and the location of instruments was judged very positively.
To determine the effects of various preferred lay-outs on the man-ship performance, a study was carried out in the manoeuvring simulator at the Institute for Perception. Two lay-outs were used. A Master performed four port approach trials each lasting about two hours. He conducted to trials for each lay-out, once alone and once assisted by a Mate. Current and wind were different for each of the four runs. The visibility conditions were moderate and there was a low traffic density. Thirty-two Dutch subjects participated in the experiment. The results show the influence of the number of bridge personnel and of the lay-outs on the task performance and can be interpreted as favouring a lay-out with a concentration of consoles in the forward centre position of the bridge. The results of these studies have been analysed and will be published in 1978 as specifications for wheelhouse and bridge design.
It is the conviction of the authors of this paper that in developing an ergonomic design of a ship's bridge, theory and practice should go hand in hand. Results based on theoretical concepts should alwys be fed back to people working in practical situations. Four different mock-ups were built, which were designed using ergonomic principles and based on mariners' opinions gathered from questionnaires. These mock-ups were judged by Dutch masters, mates and pilots and by a group of superintendents from several West European Countries. The results show strong effects with regard to lay-outs preferred by the pilots and to portions of lay-outs prelerred by the other groups. The shape of consoles and the location of instruments was judged very positively.
To determine the effects of various preferred lay-outs on the man-ship performance, a study was carried out in the manoeuvring simulator at the Institute for Perception. Two lay-outs were used. A Master performed four port approach trials each lasting about two hours. He conducted to trials for each lay-out, once alone and once assisted by a Mate. Current and wind were different for each of the four runs. The visibility conditions were moderate and there was a low traffic density. Thirty-two Dutch subjects participated in the experiment. The results show the influence of the number of bridge personnel and of the lay-outs on the task performance and can be interpreted as favouring a lay-out with a concentration of consoles in the forward centre position of the bridge. The results of these studies have been analysed and will be published in 1978 as specifications for wheelhouse and bridge design.
TNO Identifier
410449
Article nr.
5
Source title
Symposium on the Design of Ships' Bridges, The Royal Institution of Naval Architects
Pages
590-62
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