Experimental and Numerical Research on the Influence of Stern Flap Mounting Angle on Double-Stepped Planing Hull Hydrodynamic Performance

Abstract

In the current hydrodynamic research relating to planing hulls, the stern flap and steps are generally considered to be two independent resistance reduction measures. Limited research has focused on the coupled effects of flaps and steps. Therefore, experimental and numerical simulation methods are carried out in this paper to explore the influence of the flap mounting angle coupled with the steps. A series of model towing tests were implemented for a double-stepped planing hull with 2°, 3° and 4.5° flap angles. The test results show that, as the mounting angle increased, the low speed resistance performance was improved and the porpoising critical speed was delayed, with a slight resistance cost. Based on the tests, a numerical simulation method was established with volume Froude numbers ranging from 0.88 to 5.20. The simulated hull flow field showed good agreement with the testing data. The simulation results suggest a cavity induces the negative pressure after the steps; the cavity core region is the air phase, and this expands with the air–water mixture flow. The cavity also causes wetted surface reduction and pressure distribution changes. Finally, comparisons of cavities after-steps and load coefficients of different planing surfaces among models were considered. Numerical results analysis gave distinct interpretations for the experimental phenomenon of porpoising critical speed increasing with a slight resistance increment.