**4. Conclusion**

A DSM is proposed to address the dynamics of ship structures, which include three types of elements. First, a DSM formulation for both in-plane and bending

*Dynamic Stiffness Method for Vibrations of Ship Structures DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91990*

vibrations in flat rectangular plates is developed. Then, a DSM for stiffening beams is addressed, which accounts for all possible vibrations in plates and beams, i.e., bending, torsion, and extension motions. Finally, a DS plate element with fluid loadings included is formulated. The numerical results for the vibrations for a ship hull based on the proposed DSM have excellent agreement with those results obtained from FEM, which demonstrate its potential in addressing the dynamics of ship structures. In addition, vibration transmission modes of a stiffened plate are also addressed using this method.
