The Science of Ship Design

Professor Fred Stern of the University of Iowa College of Engineering describes the new $4.9 million wave basin facility at the University of Iowa's research campus.

This wave basin will be used by Stern and his colleagues in UI's Ship Hydrodynamics Research Group to further develop the simulation software called CFDSHIP-IOWA that they have developed for the United States Office of Naval Research to aid in the ship design process.

The UI Ship Hydrodynamics Research Group is a program of IIHR- Hydroscience & Engineering, one of the nation's preeminent institutes for the study of fluid mechanics, air and water resources, and environmental hydraulics.

to learn more:

[jamestaylor]

As a Naval Architect from MIT, I'd love this facility. I'd love to see it.

[carmelpule]

Oh, come on, I come from a family of boat builders since 1708 and humans have been building ships and boats for so long that most characteristics are well known, be the centre of gravity below or above the centre of buoyancy. Stability is a well defined state. As for the run along the ships and what causes broaching as was shown at 2:25 well, any designer with experience will have it in him to get very close to the desired performance. Even the curves at the bows and the aft run so that the propellers will not have a differential pressure across their disc area can be approached and curve fitting with the minimum rate of changes can be optically guessed for their lowest rate of changes hence the pressure distributions along the hull of any ship.
It is nice to have all those facilities, but my forefathers came up with good shapes in their wooden traditional boats and you know when I look at the best in modern design including the America's cup contenders, the superyachts and other seacraft, well traditional fishing boats were not too bad, The Cutty Sark and the Blue Nose did not go through tank testing and believe me their hulls still competes with the best these days. I admit that modern materials as carbon fibres and lightness have made planing hulls with lighter materials but again the shape required for any performance is still in the bones of a good designer and he knows when to truncate the transom so that the water will not curl around it to cause a low pressure and slow the boat down at the back end due to the low pressure generated by a lifted transom, a good designer would know when and when not to make a straight run at the back. Really all one needs to do is to look at the shape of birds and fish and they tell the whole story of what is required for any occasion.
Birds and fish with their wings and fins, had developed the wing and fin tips far ahead of anyone who had a test tank and it is surprising how the wing tips of propellers took so long in being shaped like those on birds and fish. As yet, no one has copied the fins and tails of dolphins and whales where all the fins have their tips with both the leading edge and trailing edge trailing back for that is what the water dynamics around the propeller tips demand.
I designed boats and propellers and all turned up fine, but the secret is that before anyone decides to build boats, aircraft and propellers one need to walk to the coast and the countryside and have a good look at what nature produced if one wants a craft that is economic in its shape and travels at convenient speeds with the most efficient manner. If one can afford the power and what goes with it, any shape will do, as if one is still worried about the shape, just never mind, put it on hydrofoils and let it go above the waves and one would not need to hustle too much about design. Look at the America's cup and the sailing hyrofoils the latter reaching more than 60 knots. So, experience and a feel for the behaviour of water does help a lot more than what people think. Still it is a modern world but I predict that all software algorithms and their models will not reach the processing of an experienced human mind. The computers may be faster control system than the human mind and so for control purposes it is good to have fast computers to control fast crafts in land sea and air, but for creating concepts and a feel for what they can do, I do conclude that the human mind can still hold it position.

[espenkrogh]

Great! Looking forward to hear your speech about Integrated High-Fidelity Validation Experiments and LES for a Surface-Piercing Truncated Cylinder at Straight Ahead Without and With Sway Motion at NTNU Trondheim, Norway today

[nikkobryanfiedalan]

if only our university have research facilities like this :(

[marstardo]

Can anyone help me? I'm a graduating Naval Architect student and we're having our thesis now. The thing is i had many ideas but my teacher assesed it and mostly of them relate to ship but are not naval architect design related.. Can anyone suggest or share something good for a thesis project? Please and thankyou

[fortyminutes]

I think that tank is in fact big enough. Maybe he should make smaller models if he is not satisfied.

[estevansanz]

I've been researching into building boats and found an awesome website at Denelle boat builder (google it if you're interested)

[Randy]

Fred stern works with ship....im done lol

[nirojshrestha]

There are many factors in creating an amazing design. One resource I discovered which succeeds in merging these is the Denelle Boat Builder (google it if you're interested) without a doubt the best info i've heard of. look at this interesting site.

[ssvelectrical]

If the ship is destroyed.
Ideas of saving

[nirojshrestha]

There are many factors in creating an amazing design. One resource I discovered which succeeds in merging these is the Denelle Boat Builder (google it if you're interested) without a doubt the best info i've heard of. look at this interesting site.