Two-dimensional numerical simulation of water splash phenomena with and without surface tension

Two-dimensional numerical analyses were conducted and analyzed to simulate water splash produced by free falling object models starting from the resting position. The equilateral prism-shaped object models were allowed to fall onto the free surface of the water. The moving-particle semi-implicit (MPS) method was used to solve the unsteady Navier-Stokes equation for incompressible fluid flows with and without the surface tension effect. Froude numbers of 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25 were used with different model sizes for the entry velocity at the free surface. Splashes obtained by numerical computation closely agreed with the experimental results. The surface tension force, the Froude number, and the Weber number were found in these calculations to play major roles in determining various types of splash shapes. Model size was found to influence splash phenomena, even if the Froude number remained the same. The dependencies on these two nondimensional numbers and the fundamental law of similarity on water splash with and without the surface tension effect were thoroughly investigated in this research. Several two-dimensional numerical simulations are presented in this article to describe the hydrodynamic behaviors of water splash with and without the surface tension effect.     

ISS-based robust adaptive fuzzy algorithm for maintaining a ship＇s track

This paper focuses on the problem of linear track keeping for marine surface vessels. The influence exerted by sea currents on the kinematic equation of ships is considered first. The input-to-state stability （ISS） theory used to verify the system is input-to-state stable. Combining the Nussbaum gain with backstepping techniques, a robust adaptive fuzzy algorithm is presented by employing fuzzy systems as an approximator for unknown nonlinearities in the system. It is proved that the proposed algorithm that guarantees all signals in the closed-loop system are ultimately bounded. Consequently, a ship＇s linear track-keeping control can be implemented. Simulation results using Dalian Maritime University＇s ocean-going training ship ＇YULONG＇ are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.     

CFD simulation of propeller and rudder performance when using additional thrust fins

To analyse a possible way to improve the propulsion performance of ships,the unstructured grid and the Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes equations were used to calculate the performance of a propeller and rudder fitted with additional thrust fins in the viscous flow field.The computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT was used to simulate the thrust and torque coefficient as a function of the advance coefficient of propeller and the thrust efficiency of additional thrust fins. The pressure and velocity flow behind the propeller was calculated. The geometrical nodes of the propeller were constituted by FORTRAN program and the NUMBS method was used to create a configuration of the propeller,which was then used by GAMMBIT to generate the calculation model. The thrust efficiency of fins was calculated as a function of the number of additional fins and the attack angles. The results of the calculations agree fairly well with experimental data,which shows that the viscous flow solution we present is useful in simulating the performance of propellers and rudders with additional fins.     

Study of station and attitude maneuver of submergence rescue vehicle

It is an important control process to operate motion of an submergence rescue vehicle(SRV). Seeing that the motion of the submergence rescue vehicle is special, it is necessary to employ non-linear predictive control system. For this reason, continuous dynamic performance of the system, the logical components and the operative restraints are expressed as the non-linear equations of state with the inequality restraints, and the model principle of hybrid system is introduced. The conclusion shows that it comes true to exactly control position and attitude of the SRV by means of non-linear model predictive control. The test in a model basin has also proved that the above methods are efficient.     

Research on vibration and near-field sound radiation of ring-ribbed cylindrical shell coated deadening and decoupling materials

The research on structural vibration and sound radiation of underwater ring-ribbed cylindrical shell, which is coated with a kind of deadening and decoupling materials, becomes a focus in recent years. This paper analyzes the problem on two aspects: model experiment and numerical calculation. The model experiment is carried out including three cases firstly, in which the structural vibration response and radiating acoustic field are measured respectively, and the results gained in these three cases are analyzed to discuss the effect of reducing structural vibration and radiating noise of the deadening and decoupling materials. The coupling FEM/BEM and the SEA methods are both used in numerical calculation, i.e. the arithmetic of the coupling FEM/BEM method is adopted to calculate the low frequency characteristics and the SEA method is adopted to calculate the medium-high frequencies characteristics of the model. By comparing experimental results with numerical calculation results, it is proved that the algorithm adopted in this paper is reasonable.     

Classification of underwater still objects based on multi-field features and SVM

A Support Vector Machine is used as a classifier to the automatic detection and recognition of underwater still objects. Discrimination between the objects can be transferred into different projection spaces by the process of multi-field feature extraction. The multi-field feature vector includes time-domain, spectral, time-frequency distribution and bi-spectral features. Underwater target recognition can be considered as a problem of small sample recognition. SVM algorithm is appropriate to this kind of problems because of its outstanding generalizability. The SVM is contrasted with a Gaussian classifier and a k-nearest classifier in some experiments using real data of lake or sea trial. The experimental results indicate that SVM is better than the others two.     

A new source number estimation method based on the beam eigenvalue

Most source number estimation methods based on the eigenvalues are decomposed by covariance matrix in MUSIC algorithm. To develop the source number estimation method which has lower signal to noise ratio and is suitable to both correlated and uncorrelated impinging signals, a new source number estimation method called beam eigenvalue method (BEM) is proposed in this paper. Through analyzing the space power spectrum and the correlation of the line array, the covariance matrix is constructed in a new way, which is decided by the line array shape when the signal frequency is given. Both of the theory analysis and the simulation results show that the BEM method can estimate the source number for correlated signals and can be more effective at lower signal to noise ratios than the normal source number estimation methods.     

Research on vibration characteristics of L-shaped plate using a mobility power flow approach

L-shaped plates have become an important focuses in structural vibration research. To determine their vibration characteristics, this paper applied a mobility power flow method. Firstly, the L-shaped plate was divided into two substructures to simplify analysis. The coupled bending moment was then deduced by applying a continuous vibration property on the common edge. Next, the response on any point of the plate and the input and transmitted power flow formulas were calculated. Numerical simulations showed the distribution of the coupled bending moment and the response of the whole structure. The validity of this method was verified by the SEA approach.     

Measuring the effectiveness of methods for evaluating noise jammers

Reliable evaluations of a noise jammer's effectiveness are necessary to properly design, manufacture, and operate one, so it is important to have an evaluation model. Based on their characteristics and principles, relevant factors were classified in terms of their contribution to a unit's effectiveness. In this way an evaluation index system was established. In the proposed mathematical model a noise jammer is analyzed by combining the model of system effectiveness with the method of analytic hierarchical process. A simulation of underwater acoustic countermeasures was used to test the rationality and feasibility of the model. The results showed that this model is an effective way to solve the challenge of evaluating the effectiveness of non-offensive weapons under single working phase.     

Essentials of general average: A synoptic overview of an ancient maritime law

This article provides a synoptic overview of the concept of general average which is one of the saving acts in maritime law. Its principles were entrenched in the Roman law which acknowledged its origins being rooted in the Sea Law of Rhodes. Its evolution as customary law through the medieval maritime codes of the Mediterranean region is also traced in the article. The reader is then brought into the modern era of the international regime of general average through the advent of the York-Antwerp Rules. The basic principles of general average loss, including expenditures and sacrifices, and general average contributions are introduced through references to a number of leading cases. The current status of this ancient law and practice and debates over its future are briefly addressed in conclusion.