Analysis of Bow Near Field of Flat Ships

Abstract

The present analysis is an application of the bow-flow theory developed by Ogilvie (1972) to a flat body on the free surface. Ogilvie's “bow near field” is one on which ∂/∂x =0 (ε^-1/2), whereas ∂/∂y, ∂/∂z=0 (ε^-1), so that exactly the same linear free-surface conditions that are familiar from the classical thin-ship theory are used. In this report flat bodies are represented by a distribution of pressure on the waterplane z=0. An approximate theory representing flow around bow is developed and compared with some experiments. The agreement is encouraging and suggests that the singular behavior of the pressure distribution at the leading edge may be related to the wave-breaking phenomenon around the bow.