RulesCalc from Lloyd’s is a fresh approach to ship design assessment with significant savings in design time and cost. It represents a major advance in design assessment systems because it integrates classification into the ship design process. RulesCalc can stand alone or be ‘plugged-in’ to ship design systems, using the latest techniques for data exchange. Design process efficiency can be increased using RulesCalc – it is no longer necessary to undertake the design and design assessment as two separate processes.

With RulesCalc the designer loads the data once and the assessment is automated. RulesCalc is a Windows-based software tool that integrates classification knowledge and experience into a design, giving designers greater confidence that the classification aspects of a design are right first time, eliminating rework and late identification of unacceptable design. The result is that users gain greater confidence from the knowledge that the design will meet the requirements of Lloyd’s Register Rules and Regulations as it evolves. The feedback loop from the Lloyd’s Register appraisal process will add value through its contribution to optimising the design through application of best practice.
RulesCalc will cover all ship types. Ongoing development will ensure that it is not limited to examining the longitudinal structure in the midship region. It will also cover machinery calculations for diesel engines, gas turbines, shafting, propellers and gearboxes, therefore extending the scope further into areas where currently there is little design assessment software.