Validity and layout of “NaLA”: a net configuration and loading analysis system

We have developed a system for determining fishing net configuration and for loading analysis, called NaLA, which uses 3D dynamic visualization; it is available for general and practical use with computer-aided design systems. This paper examines the validity of the numerical model employed in NaLA by using flume tank tests, and the model is then refined by modifying the drag parameters to improve the accuracy of estimates. There is close agreement between experimental and theoretical values for net shape configuration, and experimental values for tension loads agree well with calculated results when the drag coefficients are treated as a function of the Reynolds number. Our numerical method, in which four adjacent meshes are grouped into one large mesh, is effective in reducing computational effort.