Hull design

We at Floating Ohm, started without a pre-conceived idea of what the hull form should take other than the limits observed in the previous commentary relating to physical restraints and application.

In Naval Architecture we use non-dimensional characteristic coefficients in order to be able to compare different sized vessels. One such coefficient is the Froude number (Fn - see note below for the definition) which enables us to compare the hydrodynamic characteristics of different sized vessels in a like for like manner. In our case, we would like to see what ship hull forms that operate in the same Fn regime as our Canal boat do to reduce resistance. Typically such vessels are Bulk carriers. If we are to look at a 300m Bulk carrier with a typical beam of 40m operating in the 0.14 Fn regime we will observe that the bow sections are as shown in the following illustration.

  

The bow can be seen to be  very full and takes the form of a partial cylinder

Note:

Fn = L/ √(V x 9.81)

Where L = waterline length

V = speed in m/sec (Knots x 0.51444)

9.81 = gravitational contant

  In future discussions we will discuss how we approach the detailed design approach of the various hull elements. In particular the Bow and Stern.