EVALUATION OF PLANING CRAFT MANEUVERABILITY USING MATHEMATICAL MODELLING

Ship transportation is increasing globally as is the risk of collision especially in congested areas. Numerical modeling method is a major simulation method to predict ship maneuverability. Ship maneuvering in calm water is an important topic to avoid collisions and leads to safe navigation. Therefore, reliable ship maneuvering simulations are required for incident analysis and prevention. In recent time within the research community orientated towards ship hydrodynamics an increasing attention has been paid to simultaneous solution of the planing ship maneuvering problem. The maneuverability of planing craft has been the subject of many research projects during the last few decades. To assess the maneuverability of planing craft at an early design stage, reliable simulation models are required. Traditionally, these tools have used empiric descriptions of the forces and moments on the planing craft’s hull. Ship maneuvering calculations, horizontal plane motion control and development of maneuvering simulators need a mathematical description of ship maneuvering. In recent years, different mathematical models have been suggested for maneuvering of displacement vessels. They are capable of vessel maneuvers estimation with acceptable precision. However, the simulation of planing craft maneuverability by using mathematical model is not common yet and is the subject of future research. Maneuvering of planing craft is influenced greatly by the action of the rudder. Research efforts have been made to include the rudder action in the mathematical models of planing ship maneuvering. This paper presents a mathematical model developed for planing craft maneuvering that includes the rudder forces and moments. Different maneuvers are executed through the mathematical model. Simulations are validated by model tests. Finally, the influence of the rudder angle on the maneuverability of a planing ship is considered. The mathematical model and hydrodynamic coefficients presented in this paper can be applied for the estimation of course control and turning ability of a planing craft in the early stages of design.