Linear and non-linear deformation of a twin-hull wet-deck plate subject to slamming

Wet deck slamming events are of more importance for designing of the high speed twin hull ships. This paper highlights the physics behind the local wet-deck plate deformation of a catamaran due to the impact loading and is divided into two parts, (i) Hydrodynamics and (ii) Structural. In the hydrodynamics part of the research, mainly two methods have been used to determine the wave impact force, (a) Wagner´s slamming load model and (b) ABS rules on structural scantlings of high speed vehicles. In the structural part, the wet-deck is divided into small panels and each panel is studied by various plate models ranging from isotropic thin-plate linear theory to orthotropic nonlinear theory. The applicability of a particular plate theory depends on the nature of deck scantlings and the magnitude of the wave force. Also, by cross-comparison of results obtained using various theories, one can quantify the significance of nonlinearity and anisotropy in the plate modeling.