Performance analysis of 3D hydrofoil under free surface

The purpose of the present paper is to develop a potential-based panel method for determining the steady potential flow about three-dimensional hydrofoil under free surface. The method uses constant-strength doublets and source density distribution over the foil body surface and thereby Dirichlet-type boundary condition is used instead of Neumann-type condition. On the undisturbed free surface source density is used to meet the free surface condition that is linearised in terms of double-body model approach and is discretised by a one-side, upstream, four-point finite difference operator. After solving the doublets on the foil and sources on the free surface, the numerical results of pressure, lift and resistance coefficients and also wave profiles can then be calculated for different Fronde number and depth of submergence to demonstrate the influence of free surface and aspect ratio effects on performance of the hydrofoil. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.