Numerical study on static drift tests for ship maneuvering in regular waves

Abstract

This study is driven by the coupled seakeeping–maneuvering analysis, which predicts ship maneuverability in waves by combining seakeeping analysis with a mathematical maneuvering model. The traditional maneuvering model and its corresponding coefficients are developed based on calm sea conditions, where wave effects are typically disregarded as a temporary compromise. It is an inevitable need to revisit the mathematical maneuvering model or coefficients by considering wave effects. To this end, in this study, a series of static drift tests are employed in waves to investigate the influence of wave effects on the sway damping coefficients of ship maneuvering motion. These tests are conducted using a numerical tank, which overcomes spatial constraints and maintains a reliable wave field for ship–wave interactions. Three wave parameters, namely wavelength, wave steepness, and wave direction, are considered to assess their impacts on the wave-induced motions and forces. Furthermore, the wave effects on the maneuvering coefficients are summarized and discussed using direct observations of ship-turning motions in waves. Additionally, the benefits of computational fluid dynamics analysis are utilized to showcase the strong nonlinear phenomena of ship–wave interactions.