Multifunction Underwater Operations Support Ship Maneuvering Motion Simulation

Maneuverability is closely related to the safety of navigation and also is an important indicator of economic operation for ships. Improving ship maneuverability is a significant part of ship design. Conventional ship power adopts a propeller and rudder. Crews often drive ships according to their own driving experience. However experience is always not sufficient and applicable. It will bring potential safety hazard and economic losses.At present, most study objects of ship maneuvering are conventional propulsion, but research results about azimuth propeller maneuverability are less. Therefore, to study a azimuth propeller ship manipulation motion simulation is very meaningful. In this paper, the study object is a certain multi-function underwater operation support vessel which quipped with bow thrust and azimuth propeller. In order to improve the maneuverability of multi-function underwater operation support vessel, many study works have been done. The main research contents were:(1) Hydrodynamic derivatives were solved. Firstly, DTMB5415 was simulated numerically. The simulated results and experimental data were compared to verify the rationality of meshing and boundary conditions. Then, hydrodynamic derivatives were solved by Fourier series using discrete points obtained in the simulation, in order to verify the data processing. At last, hydrodynamic derivatives of the target ship were solved.(2)The establishment of simulation platform of ship maneuvering motion. The simulation platform was established by empirical formula in Matlab/Simulink. During the process of establishing platform, the impact of deflection angle on longitudinal force, transverse force and gyroscopic moment was considered.(3) The simulation of ship manipulation. Firstly, a towboat whose manipulation is same with the target ship was simulated in zig-zag test and turn motion, in order to verify the simulation platform of ship maneuvering motion. For the target ship, by changing the input data, simulations of zig-zag test and rotational motion were realized. For zig-zag test, simulations with four different standard parameters were proceeded. In the rotational motion, deflection angle, the impact of such parameters as revolving speed and environmental loading on constant turning diameter were studied. At last, the effect of side thruster on rotational motion was studied.This ship- machine- propeller model could provide reference for the multi-function underwater operation support ship maneuvering simulation research, and the actual process of handling the ship’s officers. It also provides some theoretical basis for the simulation of ship maneuvering performance in the wind and flow.