SESS2015 Seakeeping assignment hand out 1

Seakeeping Assignment: Q1-Q6.

The rest of the questions only for your practice.

Q1.(15%) Obtain the wave frequencies and corresponding wave lengths which will
result in encounter frequency |e | = 0.4 rad/s for a ship travelling at U = 10
knots in regular deep water waves encountered at headings (a) 0 , (b) 90 and
(c) 180 .
Answers: (a) 1 =0.571 rad/s, 1 = 189.11 m, 2 =1.3378 rad/s, 2 =34.52 m,
when e = 0.4; 3 =2.252 rad/s, 3 =12.20 m, when e = 0.4
(b) e = = 0.4 rad/s, = 385.24 m
(c) = 0.3396 rad/s, = 534.63m ;
Guidance notes: Obtaining the wave frequencies for a given encounter frequency
involves the solution of a quadratic equation. For > 90 there is one-to-one
correspondence between wave and encounter frequencies. Thus the quadratic
equation has a +ve root (valid) and a ve root (invalid). For < 90 any ve
or complex root(s) are invalid. In this case, however, one should also solve a
quadratic equation with ve encounter frequency value (case of ship overtaking
waves). This explains why (a) has three wave frequencies resulting in encounter
frequency of |e | = 0.4 rad/s, whilst (c) only one.
The probability distribution function F (x) is given as
x
F (x) = f (z)dz.

Having evaluated this integral, you can plot F (x) vs x.

Q2. (15%) An oil rig is to be built and fixed to the sea bed. During a storm in
this area the wave heights were recorded and grouped as follows: Here wave

Wave Height (m) 0 - 2 2 - 4 4 - 6 6 - 8 8 - 10

Number of waves 1050 1350 360 180 60

height means 2 (peak wave amplitude). It is intended to place the machinery

platform of this rig at 5.5m above the mean sea level.
(a) Use Rayleigh distribution to obtain the probability of the water reaching
this level.
(b) How will this probability change (based on Rayleigh distribution and the
distribution defined by the data from the previous table) if the machinery plat-
form were to be placed at 4m above the sea level.
1 1 1
Answers: (a) 24762
; (b) 211
and 50
(which one is better?)
SESS2015 Seakeeping assignment hand out 2

Guidance notes: You are advised to work on wave amplitudes, i.e. half of the wave
height values given and generate a table similar to Table 2 of the notes. It is
interesting to compare the probability density function based on the data to
that by Rayleigh, especially at higher wave heights. This will help explain the
two diering answers in (b).

Q3.(15%) The following data were obtained from a wave recorder on the occurrence
of peak wave amplitudes :

(m) 0-1 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8

Number of peaks 40 100 120 105 70 40 18 7

(a) Obtain the significant wave height corresponding to this data.

(b) Calculate the probability of exceeding a wave height of 18m.

Answers: (a) around 9.84m or around 10.438m; (b) 1 in 805.

Guidance notes: Follow the example in the notes to generate a table similar to
Table 2 of the notes. It is interesting to compare the probability density function
based on the data to that by Rayleigh. Use the data given to calculate the
significant wave amplitude. This will help explain the two very similar answers
in (a). Note, however, that there is only one answer for (b).

Q4.(15%) A uni-directional seaway with 5m significant wave height (full-scale) is

to be generated on a model scale of 1/40 using the ITTC wave spectrum. The
wave generator to be used will add 6 discrete frequencies, covering the full-scale
range between 0.2 and 2.0 rad/s. Assume that the transfer function between
wavemaker and waves is 1 and is constant, and that the 6 frequencies are to
represent equal band widths.
(a) Determine the amplitude and frequencies of the individual wave components
for full- and model scale.
(b) Calculate the root mean square value of the wave elevation both at full-scale
and model scale.
(c) Calculate the significant wave heights of the generated seaway, both for
full-scale and model scale.

Answers: Full-scale: (a) mid-band frequencies between 0.35 and 1.85 rad/s, max &
min amplitudes 1.42m and 0.15m; (b) 1.18m (c) 4.70m
Model scale: (a) mid-band frequencies between 2.21 and 11.70 rad/s, max &
min amplitudes 35.4mm and 3.7mm; (b) 29.4mm (c) 117.6mm.
SESS2015 Seakeeping assignment hand out 3

Guidance notes: Follow the example in subsection 5.5.3 (Table 5.4 etc.) of the
notes.

Q5. (20%) The wave energy content of a uni-directional sea is represented by the
following data for the wave spectral density function (i.e. wave spectrum):

Table 1:
i (rad/s) 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
(i ) (m2 s) 9.0 24.0 32.0 28.0 20.0 12.0 7.0 3.0

(a) Derive the corresponding wave encounter spectrum for a ship traveling at
16 knots and heading of 120 (180 denoting head sea).
(b) Obtain the component wave amplitudes ai for i = 1, ..., 7.
(c) Obtain the average wave energy (per unit square ) of this spectrum, using
standard salt water density.

(d) Obtain the root mean square value m0 and the significant wave height
h1/3 .

Answers: (b) max & min amplitudes 2.530m and 1.183m; (c) 135745(kgm2 /s2 )/m2 ;
(d) 3.67m, 14.7m.

Guidance notes: (a) Follow the corresponding example of the notes.

(b) The average wave energy (per unit square) for a wave is given as 12 g a2i
where ai denote component wave amplitudes. Sum the energies of all component

waves. Alternatively, you can use the MS value m0 , as m0 = 12 a2i .
The unit of average wave energy = wave energy/m2 = (kg/m3 )(m/s2 )m2 =
kg/s2

(c) Obtain the MS value m0 , then obtain m0 . Use eq. (5.37) for h1/3 .

Q6. (20%) The wave energy content of a uni-directional sea, measured from a ship
travelling at 25 knots and heading of 135 (180 denoting head sea), is repre-
sented by the following data (this is, by definition, the wave encounter spectral
density function i.e. wave encounter spectrum) : (a) Derive the corresponding

Table 2:
e (rad/s) 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0
(e ) (m2 s) 1.5 2.3 4.2 17.0 22.0 19.0 13.0 7.0 2.0 0.5

wave spectrum ().

SESS2015 Seakeeping assignment hand out 4

(b) Obtain the mean square value of the wave elevation using both wave spectra
() and (e ).

Answer: (a) max & min values of wave spectrum 47.74 and 1.45 m2 s; (b) 17.7m2 .

Guidance notes: (a) The process is similar to question 2(a).

(b) As you can see from the notes MS, i.e. m0 is the area under the wave or
encounter spectrum. You can use trapezoidal summation. Both values should
be pretty close.

End of Assignment
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Q7. A ship is advancing with velocity U in a deep water regular wave of speed c.
Obtain the wave frequencies and corresponding wave lengths which will cause
a ship to be fixed in relation to the movement of the regular wave encountered
at headings (a) 0 , (b) 30 and (c) 60 . Consider the cases when the ship is
travelling at (i) 10 and (ii) 25 knots.

Answers: (a)(i) 1.9071 rad/s, 16.95 m,(b)(i) 2.2021 rad/s, 12.71 m, (b)(ii) 0.8808
rad/s, 79.44 m

Guidance notes: Use the relationship that wave celerity is equal to ship velocity
component in the direction of wave propagation. This makes the encounter
frequency zero in waves with < 90 . Obtain the corresponding wave frequency
(only one) and wave length.

Q8. Consider the following probability density functions:

1
f (x) = ex /2 for < x < ,
2
(a)
2

f (x) = xex
2 /2
(b) for x 0 and f (x) = 0 for x < 0,

(c) f (x) = 2e2x for x 0 and f (x) = 0 for x < 0.

Obtain the mean and the mean square values of the random variables X defined
by the density functions respectively.
Obtain and sketch the probability distribution function F (x) for cases (b) and
(c).
SESS2015 Seakeeping assignment hand out 5

1 1
Answers: (a) 0 and 1; (b) 2
and 2; (c) 2
and 2

Guidance notes: The definition of the mean E[X] and the mean square E[X 2 ]
values is given in the statistics part of the notes. The rest is about integration.
You will need to use integration by parts to reduce the integrals into ones that
can be resolved. You will also need to use variable transformation to fit the
following integrals, arising in (a; for mean square) and (b; for mean):

x2
x2
e dx = and e dx = .
0 2

Q9. The wave spectrum for a uni-directional sea is as in Table 3.

Table 3:
(rad/s) 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
2
() (m s) 16.0 27.0 24.0 17.5 11.5 7.0 3.5

For a ship traveling in this sea at 15 knots and heading of 180 (head sea), the
heave encounter response spectrum is as in Table 4

Table 4:
e (rad/s) 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6
2
z (e ) (m s) 12.8 16.4 11.8 6.8 2.4 0.52

(a) Derive the heave RAOs Hz (e ) for the range of encounter frequencies given
in Table 4, using linear interpolation.
(b) Obtain the RMS values of the wave elevation and the heave response.
Answers: (a) max and min values of RAOs 1.099m/m and 0.455m/m;
(b) 3.1m and 3.2m
Guidance notes: (a) The relationship between wave and response spectra, contain-
ing the heave RAO Hz (e ), is given by
2
(e ) = Hz (e )

in the notes. As you can see both wave and response spectra have to be on
either the wave or encounter frequency basis to obtain the RAO. Follow an
example in the notes by using the formula
()
(e ) =
de /d
SESS2015 Seakeeping assignment hand out 6

to obtain(e ). Interpolate to obtain its values at same encounter frequencies

as z (e ). Then use previous equation to obtain Hz (e ).
Linear interpolation:
Given f (x0 ), f (x1 ) and a point xc (x0 , x1 ), define
xc x0
f (xc ) = (1 )f (x0 ) + f (x1 ) for = or xc = (1 )x0 + x1 .
x1 x0

(b) MS value or m0 is the area under the wave and response spectrum, respec-
tively.
Q10. A ship of displacement of 10000 tonnes and GMT = 1.0m has a natural roll
period of 15s. Determine the natural roll period after two masses, 500 tonnes
each, are moved from 3m to 6m either side of the centre line. Assume that the
roll added inertia does not vary with frequency.
Answer: 15.36s
Guidance notes: Calculate the roll gyradius (includes roll + added roll inertia),
prior to the movement of masses; hence calculate the virtual roll moment of
inertia (i.e. roll inertia + added roll inertia). Add the changes to the virtual
roll moment of inertia due to the movement of masses. Find the new roll
gyradius and, hence, natural period.
Q11. (a) A ship
of displacement of 1500 tonnes, GMT=0.62m and roll gyradius
Kxx = (Ixx + I )/() = 4m (includes roll+added roll inertia, the latter
assumed constant) is rolling in beam waves. The magnification factor at reso-
nance is 8. Assuming that the hydrodynamic damping is constant, determine
the deep water wave lengths over which the magnification factor = 2.5.
(b) The ship in (a) is fitted with fin stabilizers which reduce the magnification
factor at resonance to 1. Assuming that C1 = 0 = C3 and C2 = 5s as in the
notes, find the value of the control term C.
Answers: (a) 99.24m and 222.53m; (b) 2589.7 tonnes (m/s)2 .
Guidance notes: (a) This is the same type of question as question 6(a), in example
sheet 1 for the one dof system. As the information is given in terms of the
magnification factor at resonance, i.e. = 8 at = 1, use the amplitude
expression in eq.7.21 of the notes to get the magnification factor and find the
value of the damping ratio . Square the magnification factor to remove the
square root and obtain an equation of the form 4 + b2 + c = 0, for = 2.5.
There are two positive values for the solution, namely 21 and 22 . Find the roll
natural frequency and, since = /, find the wave frequencies for each
value of . Use 2 /g = 2/ to find the corresponding wavelengths .
SESS2015 Seakeeping assignment hand out 7

(b) You can derive expressions similar to the magnification factor of the notes.
Essentially there is an additional damping term due to the fin, i.e. CC2 =
2f in I, where f in is the damping ratio due to the fin. Using f in = 1 at
= 1, you can find the value of f in , hence the value of C.