Ships geometry & hull characteristics

The form of a ship's hull can determine the majority of its attributes, stability
characteristics, resistance etc. As a result the power needed for a certain speed can also
be determined along with the ships seaworthiness, maneuvering capabilities and load
carrying capacity.


Figure 1 - Basic dimensions


As it is shown on Figure 1 above, three different lengths are used in order to define a
ship.
1. The Length Between Perpendiculars (lbp) which is the distance measured along the
summer load waterplane between the aft and fore perpendicular. The aft perpendicular
is taken at the aft side of the rudder post and the fore perpendicular 'is the vertical line
that intersects the forward side of the stem with the summer load waterline.
2. The Length Overall (loa) is the distance measured between the fore and aft extreme
points of the ship
3. The Waterline Length (lwl) which is the length on the waterline where the ship happens
to float.
Moreover, in Figure 1 the After Sheer and the Forward Sheer are also shown. Sheer is
the measure of how much a deck rises towards the aft and bow. It can be defined by the
height of the deck at side which is above the deck at amidships.


The middle point between the perpendiculars is called amidships or midships.


Figure 2 - Breadth dimensions

The Beam is usually reffered at amidships and its most common term is the Moulded
Beam which is the greatest distance between the two sides of the ship at its greatest
width of the chosen section, as shown on Figure 2 above. The measurement is usually
done between the inside of the ships plating. Except for the Moulded Beam there is also
the Breadth Extreme which is measured to the outside of the ships plating but and it
may also take into account any overhangs or flare.


The ships Depth, as displayed on Figure 2 varies along its length but is usually quoted
for amidships. It can also be quoted Moulded Depth, which is from the underside of the
deck plating.


Camber is defined as the rise of deck as it is shown in Figure 2.


The height of the intersection between the extended out bottom line and the moulded
breadth line above the keel is called Rise of Floor or Deadrise


The difference between the draughts on the bow and the stern of the ship is called trim.
Trim is said to be by the bow or by the stern depending upon where the draught is
greater.


The ship is said to hog or sag when the curvature is concave down or up respectively, as
shown in Figure 3 below. The amount of hog or sag is the difference between the actual
draught amidships and the mean of the draughts at the fore and after perpendiculars.


Figure 3 - Hogging & Sagging

The shape of a ship's hull can be defined by its intersection with three sets of orthogonal
planes
1. The horizontal planes which are known as waterplanes and their lines of
intersection known as waterlines.
2. The transverse sections are defined by intersections of the athwartships planes.
3. The planes which are in parallel to the middle line plane and cut the hull in buttock
lines, the middle line plane defines the profile

In the following Figure 4 the three orthogonal planes are displayed with three different
colors along with the vessels section of each plane.


Figure 4 - Orthogonal planes & Sections

The form of a ships hull can be shown by the lines plan on Figure 5 below. This
figure shows various curves of intersection between the hull and the three sets of
orthogonal planes mentioned above. The curves are grouped in:
1. The Sheer Plan (intersections of the vertical fore and aft planes)
2. The Half Breadth Plan (waterlines)
3. The Body Plan (sections by transverse planes, the forward sections are shown to
the right of the centerline, and the after sections are shown to the left of the
centerline)

Figure 5 - Ship's lines plan

The distances of the various intersection points from the middle line plane are called
offsets.


The displacement of a ship influences its behavior at sea. Displacement is a force
measured in Newtons. For flotation, stability and hydrodynamic performance in
general, displacement can be expressed in volume. Displacement can be defined as:



= the density of the water in which the ship is floating

g = the acceleration due to gravity
= the underwater volume



For the fineness of the hull form a number of form coefficients is provided:

Block Coefficient

This coefficient indicates whether the waterlines will have large angles of inclination
to middle line planes and whether the form is full


Block coefficient equation
L
pp
is the length between perpendiculars

B is the extreme breadth underwater

T is the mean draught
is the underwater volume
Coefficient of Fineness of Waterplane
A large waterplane coefficient in combination with a small block coefficient is
favourable for the stability of the vessel.

Coefficient of fineness equation
A
W
is waterplane area

L
WL
is the waterline length

B is the extreme of the waterline
Midship Section Coefficient
A low value of this coefficient indicates a high rise of floor with rounded bilges


Midship section coefficient equation
A
M
is the midship section area
B is the extreme underwater breadth amidships
T is the mean draught
Longitudinal Prismatic Coefficient
This coefficient is important for the resistance of the ship and therefore it affects the
power of propulsion needed.


Longitudinal prismatic coefficient equation
A
M
is the midship section area
L
pp
is the length between perpendiculars
is the underwater volume
Vertical Prismatic Coefficient
A large value of vertical prismatic coefficient indicates will indicate body sections of
U-form and a low will indicate V-sections.

Vertical prismatic coefficient equation
A
W
is waterplane area
T is the mean draught
is the underwater volume