Developments in the Calculation of the Wavemaking Resistance of Ships

The wavemaking resistance of a rigid ship in steady rectilinear motion at the free surface of a previously calm ocean is evaluated by means of a linearized three-dimensional potential-flow formulation. Solutions to the disturbance potential of the steady perturbed flow about the moving ship are obtained by means of a Kelvin wave source distribution method. Particular emphasis is placed on computational aspects and accurate and efficient algorithms for the evaluation of the fundamental Kelvin wave source potential function are discussed. To illustrate the proposed method, experimental and theoretical predictions are compared for a variety of ship forms. In general, this approach shows the correct behaviour of the variation of the wavemaking resistance with forward speed in both a qualitative and quantitative manner.