Study on coupled dynamics of ship and flooding water based on experimental and SPH methods

Abstract

The present paper studies the fluid dynamics during the flooding of a damaged ship numerically and experimentally. Attention is focused on the fluid flow characteristics and the fluid-structure interactions. The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method with an improved boundary treatment is established, which is able to capture the flow behaviors effectively. Fairly good agreement is obtained between the computational and experimental results. Based on the SPH method, the simulations are carried out for the flooding of a damaged ship with different opening sizes, opening positions, and numbers of the flooding cabins. Besides, the effects of the wave are also taken into account. The fluid behaviors are described and analyzed in detail. It is found that, during the first phase of flooding, an inflow jet with a large velocity is formed, significantly influencing the inner flows and the ship responses. During the progressive flooding phase, sloshing, crushing of the free surface, wave breaking, and vortex shedding are observed which are coupled with the ship motions. In addition, some relevant conclusions are enclosed for the motion laws of the damaged ship. This work provides physical insight into the flooding of the damaged ship, which is helpful to understand the coupled dynamics of the ship and flooding water.