|
|
 |
 |
Cruiser MSC Poesia |
|
|
Cruiser MSC Poesia: ceramics bonded directly to ship's hull
| Sopro PUK 503 as prime technical solution for shipbuilding applications
|
MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia – the roll call of liners operated by the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) really is music to the ears. The MSC Poesia, a four-star-plus vessel with a gross register tonnage of 90,000, is the latest addition to the MSC Cruises fleet, having been launched this April and christened at Dover Harbour. Various products from Sopro's professional range were specified for the numerous sports and wellness facilities, spread over a total 13 passenger decks. These allowed the direct installation of ceramic finishes on the ship's steel hull.
|  |
The MSC Poesia is a luxury cruise liner housing over 2,550 passengers and catering for a wide variety of on-board activities. Sports enthusiasts, in particular, are spoilt for choice: while the more energetic may opt for a workout in the fitness studio, a few laps of the jogging path or a chance to hone their golfing skills, those seeking relaxation during their holiday on the high seas will probably wish to unwind in one of the swimming pools, whirlpools, jacuzzis and saunas in the ship's abundant wellness areas.
Special needs of shipbuilding
The nearly 300 m long and over 30 m wide MSC Poesia was built at the Aker Yards France dockyard in the French Atlantic port of St. Nazaire. The fit-out of the total 13 passenger decks was planned and co-ordinated by Maritec International, a French shipbuilding specialist of many years' standing and well versed in the special requirements in this field. One dissimilarity from standard construction applications with their concrete and masonry substrates, for instance, is the need for large-scale bonding of ceramic coverings directly onto the ship's metal "skin", i.e. onto a steel base. Yet, the differences from traditional building practice do not end here. With ships, the substrates receiving the ceramic finishes do not, as with buildings, bear on a firm foundation, but themselves form part of an integral, self-supporting structure that is constantly in motion and subject to varying degrees of deformation in all directions.
A further special feature consists in the fact that cruisers, while at sea, normally have no resident tilelayer to perform any necessary repairs to the ceramic coverings. These various factors have implications for the quality of workmanship required during installation of coverings at the dockyard: the observance of high standards is crucial so as to minimize risks from the start. Moreover, this first-rate workmanship needs to be matched by "best-in-class" tilelaying products. In such cases, the use of cementitious and hydraulically setting adhesives to lay rigid coverings, such as ceramic tiles, to a "vibrating" steel substrate, with its high coefficient of thermal expansion (entailing high shear adhesion loads), holds out little chance of success. Specifically, the high stresses and risk of adhesion loss make hydraulic adhesives an unsuitable option for shipbuilding applications.
| |
|
Wanted: special solutions
The safe installation of ceramic coverings on the steel hull of a ship is only possible through the use of special solutions and products. In this case, the shipbuilders opted for products from the professional range of Wiesbaden-based Sopro Bauchemie GmbH, a company with a long track record in this field. At the St. Nazaire dockyard, large sections of the ceramic tile and mosaic finishes in the swimming pool and wellness areas were laid with Sopro PUK 503, a light-coloured, highly flexible, two-component PU reaction resin adhesive, meeting R1 T requirements to DIN EN 12004. This product is particularly suitable for bonding tiles to wood-based, gypsum-based and metal substrates.
Indeed, Sopro PUK 503 was the only adhesive used on the MSC Poesia. While no priming coat was required, particular care was taken to ensure that the steel substrate was free from oil, grease and dust. In some areas, the adhesive was first applied as a "filler" to level out existing irregularities in the substrate and even out welding seams etc. The ceramic tile and mosaic coverings were then laid directly onto the ship's hull using Sopro PUK 503. The highly reliable adhesive was specially developed for use on critical substrates subject to enhanced requirements in terms of tensile and shear adhesion strengths, elasticity and damp-proofing. Not only does the product excel by its strong bond, it also remains adequately elastic after curing to accommodate the vessel's movements. This successfully prevents the formation of voids below the covering and subsequent cracks in the ceramic finish. Yet, even cracking does nothing to impair the strong bond between steel substrate and covering, making Sopro PUK 503 the number-one solution for shipbuilding. The joints in the coverings were finished using Sopro FEP, a two-component epoxy tile grout meeting RG requirements to DIN EN 13888, and Sopro SoproDur® HF, a high-strength, rapid-set, trass-bearing tile grout, meeting CG2 requirements to DIN EN 13888. Their high flexibility and extra-strong adhesion to the joint faces will guarantee durability – despite the inescapable deformation loads inherent in shipbuilding applications.
Featured Sopro products:
|
|
|
 |
|
