Verifying a new hydro-elastic design method for planing boats by full-scale sea trials

ABSTRACT

Typically, the dominant load for the design of planing hulls is slamming, while sailing fast at head seas. Slamming is a violent fluid-structure interaction, where dynamics, hydro-elasticity, and nonlinearity are important. Considering these effects in a rational design may reduce the scantlings as compare to design by rules. This research verifies our rational design method, published recently. For this verification, we designed a special research boat, which has one rules-designed side and one rational-design side, with 20% thinner plates and double stiffeners spacing, which make hydro-elasticity significant. Comparison of critical stresses between rules-design, our rational-design, and measurements shows: For the heavy side (rules-design) rules, rational, and trials show similar stresses, so both rules and rational are applicable; however for the light side (rational-design), rules dramatically over assess the stresses, while rational and trials are similar. We therefore expect this study to advance the design of more efficient boats.

KEYWORDS:

• Planing boat
• slamming
• hydro-elasticity
• hull rational design
• full scale sea trial

Acknowledgements

This research is supported by the MEYMAD grant program (grant number 2020391) of the state of Israel and by SELA Ltd. of Israel.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the MEYMAD grant program (grant number 2020391) of the state of Israel and by SELA Ltd. of Israel.

Notes on contributors

Roey Hakmon

Roey Hakmon received his B.Sc (2016) degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and is currently working on his M.Sc. degree in the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. His research deals with the rational design of fast boats. Since March 2018, he is working in the fields of structural health monitoring of air vehicles.

Nitai Drimer

Nitai Drimer, received the B.Sc. (1989), M.Sc. (1991) and D.Sc. (1994) from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. He was a Designer of vessels and offshore structures in NAMCO – Naval and Mechanical Engineering Company between 1989 and 2013, Researcher and Director of CAMERI – Coastal & Marine Engineering Research Institute between 1994 and 2013. Since October 2012 he is an associate Professor in the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Head of the Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Major and Chairman of the Technion Interdisciplinary Program for Marine Engineering.