Prediction of Large Amplitude Roll

Motions and Capsizing of Ships in Ocean

Waves
Mechanics and Ocean Engineering

Overview behavior of the ship and the irregular patterns of

The International Maritime Organization (IMO)
defines five dangerous situations in its regulations
on intact stability of ships:
surf-riding and broaching,
loss of stability on the wave crest,
synchronous rolling,
parametric rolling, and
extreme accelerations.
ocean waves are disregarded.
Therefore, a mathematical model for the descrip-
tion of ship motions in six degrees of freedom
has been reduced with help of a comprehensive
order of magnitude analysis in order to apply in-
vestigation techniques of nonlinear dynamics and
stochastic processes theory. This semi-analytical
approach yields direct relations for critical combi-
nations of ship design and seaway parameters.

Especially large container ships, fast passenger

and Ro/Ro ferries with modern hull shapes are
sensitive to parametrically excited roll motions in
head and following seas. The emersion of large
bow are stern sections may lead to a reduction of
the initial stability so that the upright floating po-
sition becomes temporarily unstable and the ship
is endangered to capsize.
Outlook
Approach
Large amplitude roll motions and capsizing gen-
The sensitivity of a ship regarding parametrically erally occur under extrem wave conditions. Since
excited roll motions and loss of initial stability the underlying model in this investigation pre-
can be assessed by the determination of the right- sumes waves of small steepness only, it is im-
ing lever curves of the ship on the wave crest and portant the confirm the range of validity for this
in the wave trough for several sea conditions and approach. Therefore, the nonlinear ship-wave in-
modes of operation. However, this approach is not teraction computed by a 2D+t boundary element
feasible for the prediction of maximum roll ampli- method will be compared with the results obtained
tudes or the risk of capsizing since the dynamical form the reduced models.

Support: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg

Researcher: Dipl.-Ing. Wolfgang Sichermann Tel.: ++49 - 40 - 4 28 78 - 28 78
Supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Edwin Kreuzer Tel.: ++49 - 40 - 4 28 78 - 30 20
Revision: 10/2004