NUMERICAL PREDICTION OF FORCES ON PLANING FLAT CATAMARAN HULLS AND PRISMATIC HULLS

A variable pressure element method was adopted to calculate pressure distribution and forces on planing surfaces. The wetted area of a planing hull was represented by an assemblage of elements of transversely variable pressure in the form of a sine series. The coefficients in the series are determined by applying boundary conditions on the planing surface. Numerical calculations were carried out for a number of flat planing catamarans and prismatic monohulls and the results are presented and discussed.