January 25, 2021: Experimental Evaluation of the Performance of High-Speed Craft

Abstract: High-Speed Craft (HSC) are utilized as service vessels for wind farms, offshore platforms, and aquaculture farms. They are also crucial in keeping our waters safe, through search and rescue, by the military and by the Coast Guard. Their fast speed warrants unique technologies to reduce resistance and acceleration and slamming in waves.  This talk introduces the hydrodynamic properties of HSC, towing tank testing and an overview of our past, present and future research. For the past three years we have undertaken towing tank experiments of spray deflection technologies with the aim of reducing clam water resistance and accelerations in waves. Detailed lessons learned, focusing on the design and location of the spray deflectors, will be given. The accuracy of the Savitsky method, the most widely used reference case for HSC will be discussed with a focus on resistance, trim and location of the stagnation line. Initial insights to the design of a free running model, developed for testing in the ocean will be given together with test site selection process and the benefits and drawback of ocean testing compared to towing tank testing. This research is funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

Bio: MIRJAM FÜRTH, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering at Texas A & M University. Her research focuses on numerical and experimental hydrodynamics applied to High Speed Craft, Wave Energy, Aquaculture cultivation farms, Autonomous ships and Floating Production Storage and Offloading units (FPSOs). Dr. Fürth holds a M.Sc. in Vehicle Engineering from KTH, The Royal Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Engineering and the Environment from the University of Southampton. She has been a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Yokohama National University, Japan and an Assistant Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and the Davidson Laboratory, NJ USA.