A hydroelastic investigation into the dynamic response characteristics of bulk carriers

This paper presents a hydroelastic investigation into the dynamic response characteristics of a group of bulkers with different load carrying capacities, e.g., two handysize vessels with carrying capacities of 20 000 and 32 000 dwt, respectively; one handymax vessel with a carrying capacity of 53 000 dwt; one panamax vessel with a carrying capacity of 76 000 dwt; two capesize type vessels with carrying capacities of 140 000 and 180 000 dwt, respectively. For all the bulk carriers adopted in this study, detailed three dimensional finite element structural models are prepared, separately, by using commercial finite element software. The calculations are carried out for two different loading conditions, namely, fully loaded and ballast conditions. The dry and wet frequencies are computed by using the finite element, and they are compared with those calculated by using a higher-order 3-D hydroelasticity theory.