Self-blending method for hull form modification and optimization

A self-blending method has been developed and applied to the modification of a bulbous bow. The method is capable of transforming ship hulls automatically. In this method, few representative number of cross sections (the key points of the cross sections) of the baseline geometry are selected. New cross sections are generated through merging the two cross sections next to each other, using a prescribed weight factor. Different weight factors are assigned to the x, y and z coordinates of the key points of the cross section. The method thus can be one, two or three parameters self-blending method. The surface of the ship hull generated through the method is smooth so that it can be readily used for meshing and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) applications. Combined with CFD and DOE (design of experiment) techniques the shape of bulbous bow of a fishing vessel is optimized and the resistance is reduced by 2%.