Composite singularity distribution method with application to hydroelasticity

Abstract

In predicting the wave-induced motions of a ship or an offshore structure, the symmetry of the body is widely used to reduce the computational time. By employing the symmetry condition, the composite singularity distribution method (CSD) can provide a consistent and efficient way to solve the diffraction and radiation problems. With this method, a single plane of symmetry is exploited such that the exciting forces due to incident waves of arbitrary heading can be calculated without distributing sources on the entire body. This paper presents the double composite singularity distribution method (DCSD) for the hydroelastic analysis of a structure which has two planes of symmetry. Applications are illustrated with reference to a very large, multi-hull floating structure.