System-based investigation on 4-DOF ship maneuvering with hydrodynamic derivatives determined by RANS simulation of captive model tests

For the non-negligible roll-coupling effect on ship maneuvering motion, a system-based method is used to investigate 4-DOF ship maneuvering motion in calm water for the ONR tumblehome model. A 4-DOF MMG model is employed to describe ship maneuvering motion including surge, sway, roll, and yaw. Simulations of circular motion test, static drift and heel tests are performed by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, after a convergence study quantifying the necessary grid spacing and time step to resolve the flow field adequately. The local flow field is analyzed for the selected cases, and the global hydrodynamic forces acting on the ship model are compared with the available experiment data. Hydrodynamic derivatives relating to sway velocity, yaw rate, and heel angle are computed from the computed force/moment data using least square method, showing good agreement with those obtained from EFD data overall. In order to investigate further the validity of these derivatives, turning circle and zigzag tests are simulated by using the 4-DOF MMG model with these derivatives. The trajectories and the time histories of the kinematic variables show satisfactory agreement with the data of free-running model tests, indicating that the system-based method coupled with CFD simulation has promising capability to predict the 4-DOF ship maneuvering motion for the unconventional vessel.