Lessons learnt through the design, construction and testing of a hydroelastic model for determining motions, loads and slamming behavior in severe sea states

To determine the motions, loads and slamming behaviour of large high-speed catamarans a segmented hydroelastic model of a wave-piercing catamaran was designed and constructed. The model has subsequently undergone extensive testing, in a variety of regular and irregular wave conditions, to investigate the motions, vertical bending moments, slamming loads and pressures, and slamming kinematic behaviour. The results presented demonstrate the insights that such tests can provide into the behaviour of large high-speed catamarans and phenomena such as slamming, whipping and energy transfer in the dynamic system. Many lessons were learnt through the design, construction and testing of the model and recommendations are made for future model developments to allow for greater understanding of the behaviour of large high speed catamarans including the influence of hullform and configuration on performance and load magnitude.