## 4 Concluding Remarks and Future Directions  
This study deals with the method of adjusting the hull girder load calculated by integrating local loads in the hull structural strength assessment to the target load. First, the DNV rule-based method was applied to the LNGC cargo hold model to explain the concept of hull girder load adjustment. Then, a simpler and more efficient method was derived through a discussion of the rule-based method and the QP method. The DNV rules follow the IACS rules for the hull girder load adjustment method. The rule-based method adjusts only four components of the hull girder load for the cargo hold model with simply supported boundary conditions. The loads required for adjustment are distributed over the hull section using shear flow and beam theory. On the other hand, the QP method adjusts all components of the hull girder loads for the whole ship model, and the loads required for adjustment are distributed in such a way that the sum of the magnitudes of each load is minimised. Reviewing the abovementioned methods, a simpler and more efficient method is derived as follows. * The rule-based method adjusts only VSF, TM, VBM, and HBM, while the QP method adjusts all components but considers six hull girder load equations at once. It is reasonable to adjust all components using the QP method. However, since the shear and axial forces are orthogonal to each other in the hull section, they can be adjusted by dividing them into related components. VSF, HSF, and TM can be adjusted by shear force, and VBM, HBM, and VBM can be adjusted by axial force. In the intermediate step, VBM and HBM should be updated by VSF and HSF. It can be adjusted using a more simplified equation in three steps. * The rule-based and QP methods can only be applied to the cargo hold and whole ship models, respectively. In order to apply it to the forebody and aftbody models, a method that can consider all boundary conditions is required. Ultimately, the reaction forces that occur depending on the boundary conditions due to the additional load must be handled. In the simply supported condition, the reaction forces can be offset, and in the aft end fixed condition, the reaction forces can be used to adjust the target value. The reaction forces are ignored in the free and fore-end fixed conditions because they do not occur at the adjusted station. * In load distribution, the rule-based method uses shear flow and beam theory, and the QP method uses a technique to minimise the magnitude of the load. The rule method can be classified as a method that uses a stress field, but it has the inconvenience of having to calculate the shear flow. The QP method is classified as a method that uses a force field, and since this method distributes the load directly to the nodes, it can cause a load concentration phenomenon in a fine mesh model. To solve the above  
Figure 21: The distribution of axial force added for load adjustment. (**a**) Effective axial area; (**b**) axial stress field; (**c**) axial force distribution. problem, the load can be distributed using a stress field that varies linearly in the beam cross-section and the directional cross-sectional area of the element. Using a stress field is simpler than calculating the shear flow, and using the cross-sectional area of the element can prevent load concentration even in a fine mesh model. The EDW concept of IACS generates dozens of load cases using design load formulas and adjusts the integrated hull girder loads from the loads to target values. The design loads are defined for the entire length of the ship so that they can be applied regardless of the extent of the model. It was mainly applied to the structural analysis of merchant ships but is now also used for the structural analysis of ship-like offshore structures [27; 28]. The EDW load is a rule-based load that requires adjustment of the hull girder load and requires an adjustment method that can be used for various ship types and model extents.