PE Naval Architecture study guide
PE Naval Architecture · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The PE Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering is a professional engineer (PE) licensure examination administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) for engineers who design, analyze, and support ships, boats, offshore units, and marine systems. Candidates are typically practicing naval architects, marine engineers, structural and hydrodynamic analysts, or port and shipyard engineers who have completed an accredited engineering degree and the required supervised experience under a state licensing board, and who now need to demonstrate minimum competence before licensure. The PE Naval Architecture study guide has 6 sections and about 1,928 words.
01Hydrostatics and Stability
Hydrostatics fixes the displacement and the underwater geometry; stability uses those particulars to locate the centre of buoyancy B, the metacentre M and the centre of gravity G. At a given waterline, displacement Δ = ρ∇, TPC = A w ρ/100 (t/cm with A w in m² and ρ in t/m³), and MCT = Δ·GM L/(100L).
339 words, about 2 min02Resistance, Propulsion, and Powering
Total resistance is split into viscous (friction plus form) and wave-making parts, plus air and appendage resistance. Model tests follow Froude similarity: speeds scale as √λ and wave resistance as λ³, while viscous resistance is handled by Reynolds similarity using the ITTC-57 line Cf = 0.075/(log₁₀Re − 2)².
583 words, about 3 min03Ship Structures and Strength
The hull acts as a box girder. Still-water bending moment comes from the weight and buoyancy distribution; wave bending moment is added by the standard wave, giving hogging (deck in tension, keel in compression) or sagging (the reverse).
274 words, about 1 min04Ship Dynamics and Seakeeping
Seakeeping treats the ship as a rigid body with six degrees of freedom: surge, sway, heave, roll, pitch and yaw. Each mode has a natural frequency set by mass (including added mass) and restoring force.
256 words, about 1 min05Marine Engineering Systems and Machinery
Marine propulsion is dominated by slow-speed two-stroke diesels directly coupled to the propeller, with medium-speed four-stroke engines used through gearboxes. Key quantities are MCR, continuous service rating, specific fuel consumption in g/kWh, scavenging and turbocharging, and the propeller law.
241 words, about 1 min06Ship Design, Arrangements, and Production
Ship design proceeds iteratively through mission requirements, concept exploration, preliminary and contract design, then detailed design and production. Main dimensions follow from capacity (deadweight, cargo volume, TEU), speed-power estimates, stability and freeboard, seakeeping and structural rules.
235 words, about 1 min