Whipping Response of Vessels With Large Amplitude Motions

Abstract

The paper presents a time domain method to calculate the ship responses in heavy weather, including the global structural loads due to whipping. Since large amplitude waves induce nonlinear ship responses, and in particular highly nonlinear vertical structural loads, the equations of motions and structural loads are solved in the time domain. The “partially nonlinear” time domain seakeeping program accounts for the most important nonlinear effects. Slamming forces are given by the contribution of two components: an initial impact due to bottom slamming and flare slamming due to the variation of momentum of the added mass. The hull vibratory response is calculated applying the modal analysis together with direct integration of the differential equations in the time domain. The structural dynamic characteristics of the hull are modeled by a finite element representation of a Timoshenko beam accounting for the shear deformation and rotary inertia. The calculation procedure is applied to a frigate advancing in regular waves. The contribution of whipping loads to the vertical bending moments on the ship structure is assessed by comparing this response with and without the hull vibration.