Computational impact pressure of the floatplane's bottom in various of deadrise and flare angles

Abstract

The water impact at the bottom of a floatplane upon landing is one of the biggest concerns related to the structure strength. The free fall of the floater to the water's surface is ideal for modelling to acquire a pressure value against the optimal design angle of the deadrise and flare. The impact pressure due to free-falling of the 2D cross-section of the floater at four different deadrise angles is computed using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique in FLUENT's dynamic mesh feature. According to the simulation results, the angle of deadrise impacts the pressure on the floater bottom area that decreases along with the increase in deadrise angle. Flares also help to lessen the pressure value under all deadrise angle scenarios. All models have good agreement when compared to the modified Wagner's formula, with an average inaccuracy of roughly 5.27 percent.