Abstract
Compared with standard vessels, a slender catamaran with a semi-submerged bow (SSB) demonstrates superior seakeeping performance. To predict the motion of an SSB catamaran, computational fluid dynamics methods are adopted in this study and results are validated through small-scale model tests. The pitch, heave, and vertical acceleration are calculated at various wavelengths and speeds. Based on the overset grid and motion region methods, this study obtains the motion responses of an SSB catamaran in regular head waves. The results of the numerical studies are validated with the experimental data and show that the overset grid method is more accurate in predicting the motion of an SSB catamaran; the errors can be controlled within 20%. The movement data in regular waves shows that at a constant speed, the motion response initially increases and then decreases with increasing wavelength. This motion response peak is due to the encountering frequency being close to the natural frequency. Under identical sea conditions, the motion response increases with the increasing Froude number. The motion prediction results, that derive from a short-term irregular sea state, show that there is an optimal speed range that can effectively reduce the amplitude of motion.