Dynamic response of a surface ship structure subjected to an underwater explosion bubble

Bubble load in a noncontact underwater explosion can cause the ship hull global response and local response. In current literature, the ship hull is usually simplified as a hull girder to analyze its global response. However, literature dealt with the local response of a 3-D surface ship hull subjected to an underwater bubble were limited. This investigation develops a procedure which couples the finite element method with doubly asymptotic approximation (DAA) method to study the problem of transient responses of a ship hull structure subjected to an underwater explosion bubble. Using a 3-D ship model as examples, the global and local responses of the ship model in vertical, transverse and longitudinal directions are performed in detail. The acceleration, velocity and displacement time histories are presented. The characteristics of both the global and local responses of the ship model are discussed. The numerical results show that besides global whipping response, the ship hull also sustains severe local responses in different directions subjected to underwater explosion bubble jetting, which should be taken into consideration.