Experimental study on water entry of model catamaran sections

Marine vehicles may experience significant slamming loads due to water entry of hull sections in some unsteady regimes. This study focuses on a basic configuration consisting of two V-hulls connected with a flat-bottom platform. Drop tests on water of two-dimensional catamaran model sections with variable platform position and entry velocity have been carried out. Time-dependent acceleration signals and high-speed video records of the body falling into water were obtained. The acceleration peaks were identified and related to the chine wetting, spray hitting the platform bottom, and wetdeck slamming. The obtained results can be applied for validating mathematical models of water impacts and designing catamaran hulls.