Analysis of methods determining the value of the vessel’s critical speed when entering the lock chamber minimum width

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of analytical dependencies to determine the value of the critical speed of the vessel when entering the lock chamber. It is presented the analysis of analytical dependences for determining the value of the critical ship’s speed when entering the lock chamber, obtained by various authors earlier in the course of model and full-scale tests. The main factors affecting the safety of the approach process are noted. It was established that the critical velocity values calculated by various methods give a spread of values. However, some of them do not allow determining the value of the critical speed when the vessel enters the lock at high values of the constraint coefficient. It is indicated that the safe and effective speed of entry into the lock depends on the speed of the stream flowing around the hull of the vessel, which, in turn, is determined by the height of the shear wave in front of the ship’s bow (i.e., the slope of the free surface of the water). These factors lead to the conclusion that further research is necessary