BASISOFDESIGN

for
ENHANCEDSAFETYHELIDECK

1. These specifications form the guidelines for the structural design of the
enhancedsafetyaluminiumhelideckproposedfortheproject.Thehelicopter
deck integrates a patented, passive fireretarding system into its surface
grating to provide enhanced safety and is manufactured under the trade
nameXEENHANCEDSAFETYHELIDECK.

2. ThehelideckshallbedesignedforaHelicopter(s)specifiedbytheclientand
tomeetthefollowingcodesandspecifications:

U.K.CivilAviationAuthorityCAP437
USAPIRP2L,DesigningandPlanningOffshoreHeliports
ICAO
BSLD51(CAAN)
NMD
NorsokC004
NORMAM27
AustraliaCASACAAP922(1)
IMOModuCode
ClassificationSocietyRules
Eurocode9,DesignofAluminiumStructures
Clientsspecifications

3. Thesespecificationsaddressthefollowingareas:

SpecialSafetyFeature
HelideckFeatures
InterfacewithSteelSupportTrussStructureBelowHelideck
SizeandArrangementofHelideck
MaterialPropertiesofHelideckComponents
DesignConsiderations
DrainageforHelideck
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BASISOFDESIGN
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ENHANCEDSAFETYHELIDECK

ReactionForces
HelideckPancakeWeight

3.1

SPECIALSAFETYFEATURE:passivefireretardingsystem
The most critical moments of helicopter operation are during landings
andtakeoffs.Anaccidentateitherstagecanmeanhundredsofgallons
ofjetfuelspillingfromrupturedfueltanksinthebellyoftheaircraft.

Acrashandburnscenarioisalwaysafrighteningpossibilitytheintense,
fuel fed fire will spread on the helideck, making passenger rescue
extremely hazardous. Vital time is lost in combating the helideck fire
when all attention should be delivered to the helicopter crew and
passengersinstead.

TheXEEnhancedSafetyHelideckwasdevelopedtoreducetheserisksand
integrates a passive, enhanced safety system into the decking of the
helideck. The system requires no maintenance, power assist, foam or
otherfireextinguishingmaterialsforitsoperation.

The XEEnhancedSafety Helideck works byallowing burning fuelto pass

through densely packed layers of Explosafe expanded aluminium
mesh. The mesh is packed to a proprietary compression in batt form
inside a hollow landing grating which runs between the helideck
structuralmainbeams.Incaseofadecksurfacefire,burningfueldrains
through holes in the deck surface into the batts. The burning fuel is
starvedofoxygenandthealuminiummeshcausesrapidheatdissipation.
The fire is retarded and starts to extinguish immediately. Spilt fuel is
quicklyandsafelydrainedawayunburnedinsidethehollowdeckinginto
perimeterdrainsandheaderpipes.

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BASISOFDESIGN
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ENHANCEDSAFETYHELIDECK

Anyremainingvaporburnoffonthehelidecksurfacecanbeextinguished
insecondswithaminimalwaterspray.

The XE Enhanced Safety Helideck is therefore capable of achieving the

following:

a) Commenceretardationofhelideckfireimmediatelyuponignition.
b) CollectandextinguishburningJetA1fuel.
c) Channel the unburned and extinguished fuel safely away from the
burningsite.
d) Allowtheuseofwatersprayasavapourextinguishingmedium.
e) Controlburningwithininitialfuelspillareaonlytofacilitateescapeof
survivors.
f) Attenuate fire within 3 minutes from ignition with no active fire
fightingequipmentbeingused(inatestcondition).
g) Attenuatefirewithin15secondsfromignitionifwatersprayisusedas
afirefightingaid.(inatestcondition)

Live fire tests of the XE Enhanced Safety Helideck were conducted in

Singaporein1989,intheUnitedKingdomin1996,andin2004and2008
before representatives of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, ICAO, Det
Norske Veritas, Lloyds Register, Shell Brunei, Shell Sarawak, Petronas,
ESSO,SikorskyHelicopters,BellHelicoptersandothers.Documentationis
availableonrequest.

3.2 HELIDECKFEATURES

Integratedenhancedfireretardingsystem
Corrosionresistant,marinegradealuminiumconstructionEN
AW6082T6/equal
Largestextrusionsintheindustry,fewerjointsandlargerspans
Allbolteddesignwithnoheataffectedzones
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BASISOFDESIGN
for
ENHANCEDSAFETYHELIDECK

Nostructuralweldingtobeallowed
AllstructuralfastenersA480,nonstructuralfastenersA470(stainless
steelgrade316)
Nonslip,staydrydeckingwithcoefficientofgripexceeding0.65
Provendesignwithextensivetrackrecord
Quickassemblyandinstallation
Maintenancefreealuminiumalloyinfillforsafetynets
Specialextrudedclampingsystemforallfasteners,nodrillingrequired
Absenceofdrillingholestoallowhelidecktoberelocatedeasily
Integratedcablemanagementsystem
Fullyextrudedguttersandkickplate

3.3

INTERFACEWITHSTEELSUPPORTTRUSSSTRUCTUREBELOWHELIDECK
Thealuminiumhelideckshallbesecuredtothesteelsupportsbytheuse
of steel transition joints which are preinstalled to the aluminium main
beams. Transition joints are of carbon steel and only steeltosteel
weldingshallberequiredatthetimeofhelideckerection.Thethickness
of the transition plates shall be minimum 36 mm in order to avoid
warping during welding. The insulation material shall be EPDM or
stainlesssteelsheet,whererequired.

3.4

SIZEANDARRANGEMENTOFHELIDECK
3.4.1 The helicopter deck is generally octagonal in shape and it shall be
capable of accommodating the design helicopter in accordance
withthestipulatedstandard.

3.4.2 Thehelideckissupportedonaluminiumorsteeltrussarrangement.

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BASISOFDESIGN
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ENHANCEDSAFETYHELIDECK

3.4.3 The pancake consists of two layers of structural members. The

lowermembersshallbethealuminiumIsectiongirderbeams(AOG
range),andthemaximumbeamheightisabout470mm.

3.4.4 The deck for landing sits on the aluminium girder beams and
comprises approximately 130mm high aluminium multiplewall
punchedgratings.Thesearesecuredtothegirderbeamsviaspecial
extruded clamps and stainless steel fasteners. The grating is
designed to efficiently absorb the high local loads of the crash
helicopter.Thepunchingoftheholesonthesurfaceofthegrating
istoallowfluidstodrainintothedoublewallhollowbelowandfor
theproperfunctioningofthesafetysystem.

3.4.5A perimeter drainage system shall be provided together with

adequatedrainheaderstocarrythehelideckspillflowandrainfall.

3.4.6 Necessaryliftingpoints,liftingprocedureandtherequiredspreader
bardesignshallbeprovidedfortheliftoutofthehelideck.

3.4.7 Stainless steel or aluminium alloy helicopter tiedowns shall be

provided.

3.5

MATERIALSPROPERTIESOFHELIDECKCOMPONENTS
3.5.1 The helideck grating are ENAW 6082T6/equal aluminium
extrusionsthathaveminimumyieldstrengthof250N/mm.

3.5.2 The helideck main beams are ENAW 6082T6/equal aluminium

extrusionsthathaveminimumyieldstrengthof260N/mm.

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BASISOFDESIGN
for
ENHANCEDSAFETYHELIDECK

3.5.3 Thehelideckisdesignedsuchthatnostructuralweldingisrequired
andonlyboltedconnectionsbetweenmembersareused.Welding
is confined to nonstructural secondary members and drainage
sections.

3.5.4.ThefollowingshallbeincludedasdeliverablesintheManufacturing
RecordBook:

a) MillCertificationwhenevermaterialsaredelivered.
b) Workmanship for prefabrication in accordance to the
InspectionandTestPlanapproved.
c) ProjectQualityPlanfordesign,fabricationandassembly.
d) Classdesignapprovalletterandinspectioncertificate

3.6

DESIGNCONSIDERATIONS
3.6.1 Designloadstobeconsideredare:

a) Normallandingload
b) Emergencylandingload
c) Liveloadonthesurfaceofthedeck
d) LateralLoads
e) Helideckselfweight
f) WindLoad
g) Vesselaccelerationload
h) Otherenvironmentalloadspecifiedbyrules

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BASISOFDESIGN
for
ENHANCEDSAFETYHELIDECK

3.6.2 A lifting analysis for the installation of the helideck onto the steel
supportshallbeperformed.Thisshallbecarriedoutatthetimeof
detailed engineering and cover the designed lifting points of the
helideck.

3.6.3 Thestructuralanalysismethodtobeemployedfortheverification
of the global and local strength of the helideck is being evaluated
withtheuseofstructuralanalysiscomputersoftware.

3.7

3.6.4The helideck shall be checked for thermal expansion and

contraction with respect to its nonaluminium interfaces. Suitable
expansionjointsshallbeprovidedwhererequired.

DRAINAGEFORHELIDECK
3.7.1 Drainageoffluidsfromthehelidecksurfacewill beviathe hollow
gratingextrusions,whichruntheentiresurfaceofthedeck.These
extrusions lead to the perimeter drainage system where the
headersarelocated.

3.7.2 The perimeter drainage gutter shall be dimensioned to satisfy the

maximum continuous rainfall of 120 mm/hr with required
contingency.

3.8

3.7.3 Theperimeterguttersarecoveredforincreasedsafety.

HELIDECKENGINEERINGWEIGHTS
The estimated weights for the helideck pancake, support structure,
platformsandaccessstairways,canbecalculatedandincludedinWeight
Report.
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