Hydrodynamic tests on a plate in forced oscillation

The forces and moments acting on an oscillating plate at inflow angles at or below stall are well understood. However, there is a shortage of data on surface-piercing plates undergoing rotational oscillation. A set of experiments was conducted on a series of flat plates undergoing forced rotational oscillation in calm water. The impetus for the experiments was an investigation into the hydrodynamics of sailing yacht keels, but the results may be of value for a wide range of engineering problems. The experiments showed that the two-dimensional case was not representative of three-dimensional flow conditions. There was a possible region of transitional flow for the plate in two-dimensional flow, not evidenced in the results for three-dimensional flow. The total roll moment, roll inertia, roll drag and sway force coefficients showed an inverse square root relationship to aspect ratio, with a very weak dependency on oscillation frequency and angle amplitude. Under-plate clearance effects were small for the clearance values investigated.