Hydrodynamic Loads Prediction (Including Slamming) and Relation to Structural Reliability

A description is given of the analytical and computational techniques that are used to determine the hydrodynamic wave- induced loads acting on a ship in a seaway, including the effects on hull girder loads due to slamming. The relation between the magnitude and distribution of the various hydrodynamic loads, and the manner and form in which such information may be used in the context of structural reliability, are also addressed in the paper. The methods used to find these hydrodynamic loads consider both frequency domain and time domain analysis via computer simulation, with the emphasis on time domain procedures incorporating the effects of nonlinearity. Both rigid body and vibratory responses (reflecting the influence of hull girder flexibility) are included, with the structural loads considered in these methods governing vertical and lateral shears and bending moments as well as torsion.