Numerical study of step forward swept angle effects on the hydrodynamic performance of a planing hull

One of the most effective methods to diminish the drag of a planing craft is to use a step at the bottom of the hull. A stepped hull causes a reduction of the wetted area and, as a result, a decrease in the drag. The step may be designed as a straight line through the entire width of the hull or may be V-shaped with a forward or backward swept angle. In this paper, the effects of the step forward swept angle on the hydrodynamic performance of a hard chine planing vessel are investigated by finite volume method (FVM). Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations with a standard k-ε turbulence model coupled with volume of fluid (VOF) equations are solved in order to simulate a transient turbulent free surface flow around the hull with the help of Ansys CFX software. In order to predict hull motions, equations of rigid body motions for two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) are coupled with fluid flow governing equations. To validate the presented numerical model, first the numerical results are compared with available experimental data, and then the obtained numerical results of the drag, dynamic trim, sinkage, wetted keel length, wetted chine length, pressure distribution on the hull, wetted surface and wake profile at different Froude numbers and step angles are presented and discussed.