Control system design and performance evaluation of anti-pitching fins

We have investigated the usefulness of active stabilizing fins to reduce ship pitching under varying forward speeds, and in varying wave lengths. A 4-m self-propelled model ship and an electrohydraulically driven stabilizing fin system were used in our experiment. Pitch angles, pitch rates, and ship forward speeds were measured and fed back to a controller to calculate the deflection angle of the stabilizing fin. The effects of fin nonlinearity on achievable pitch reduction performance are discussed. It is shown that the desired pitch response can only be achieved when the fin is operated in the linear region. The overall dynamic response of the ship approaches open-loop behavior when the degree of nonlinearity is high. This simple analysis of the pitch stablizing system provides basic information to ship designers. Experimental results validate these design guidelines. Received for publication on Feb. 12, 1998; accepted on Dec. 8, 1999