An interactive layout exploration and optimisation method for early stage ship design

This paper presents a novel, highly interactive genetic algorithm-based layout exploration and optimisation method for generating spatial configurations of ships in the early stages of the design process. The method draws upon the principles of design-driven architecturally centred ship design processes by enabling the naval architects to make important decisions in a hybrid design process. The method utilises a genetic algorithm-based optimisation tool to rapidly generate and evaluate a diverse set of general arrangement options. It is approached in stages where each stage comprises two steps (manual and automatic). The new genetic algorithm-based layout optimisation tool is demonstrated by being applied to an Offshore Patrol Vessel test case. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed tool are discussed, as well as the current limitations of the overall approach and future work

Simulation of a ship advancing in floating ice floes

The effect of global warming is inducing sea ice retreat and transforming the Arctic into a navigable ocean. The melted ice cover can result in an environment where pancake-shaped ice floes are floating on sea surface; however, the effect of such an ice condition on ship performance has yet to be understood. This work develops a numerical model to predict the ship resistance in this typical case. Building on a traditional computational model for predicting ship hydrodynamics in open ocean, the Discrete Element Method is incorporated to include ice floes, so as to achieve ship-wave-ice coupling; thus, the simulation innovatively considers the influence of fluid flow on the interaction process. Following validation against experiments, the proposed model has been shown capable of accurately predicting ship resistance in pancake ice condition. Subsequently, the relationship of the resistance with ship speed, ice concentration and floe size is investigated