The effect of rigid-body motions on the whipping response of a ship hull subjected to an underwater bubble

The dynamic elastic response of a floating ship hull girder to an underwater explosion bubble is normally composed of two parts: rigid-body motion and elastic deformation. However, the effects of rigid-body motion have consistently been neglected in the current literature based on the assumption that they are small. In this paper, our focus is on the study of rigid-body motion effects on the hull girder's elastic deformation, also known as the ‘whipping response’. A theory of interaction between a gas bubble and a hull girder is presented. The bubble dynamic equations combined with the bubble migration, free surface effect and drag force considerations are solved numerically using the Runge–Kutta method. The rigid-body and elastic responses of the hull that are induced by the impulsive pressure of a bubble are calculated using the methods presented herein. Two different examples of real ships are given to demonstrate the effect of rigid-body motion on whipping responses. The numerical results show that rigid-body motions reduce the amplitudes and vibration natural periods of the bending moments of the hull girder. These effects can be ignored for slender hulls, but must be taken into consideration for shorter/wider hulls so as not to underestimate the longitudinal strength.

► We establish a model of both an underwater explosion bubble and a ship hull girder.
► We give two different real ships to demonstrate the effect of rigid-body motion on whipping responses.
► Rigid-body motions reduce the amplitudes and vibration natural periods of the bending moments of the hull girder.
► The effect of rigid-body motion can be ignored for slender hulls.
► The effect of rigid-body motion must be taken into consideration for shorter/wider hulls.