1 1 Shipdynamics

So far this b o o k has c o n c e n t r a t e d on situations where the ship, as a

rigid body, is static or m o v i n g slowly between positions o f equilibrium.
Whilst unrealistic in real-life terms such a p p r o a c h e s have b e e n neces-
sal T to study flotation and stability. In reality the ship is a flexible struc-
ture subject to m a n y fluctuating forces - b o t h internal and external.
T h e s e are o u t l i n e d in the chapters dealing with the ship's internal and
external e n v i r o n m e n t .
T h e responses o f the ship to these forces include:

(1) T h e m o t i o n s o f a ship as a rigid body; its roll, pitch and heave

which are at relatively low frequency.
(2) T h e distortion o f the ship as an elastic structure - b e n d i n g a n d
torsion - again at relatively low frequency.
(3) H i g h e r f r e q u e n c y responses such as vibration and slamming.

THE BASIC RESPONSES

T h e various responses are dealt with in separate chapters but it is use-

ful to set the scene by describing briefly the basic response o f an elastic
system to applied forces.

Oscillatory motion
Simple. vibrations
T h e simplest case o f oscillatory m o t i o n is where the restoring force act-
ing o n a body is p r o p o r t i o n a l to its d i s p l a c e m e n t from a position o f
stable equilibrium. This is the case o f a mass o n a spring which is the
f u n d a m e n t a l building block from which the response of c o m p l e x
structures can be arrived at, bv c o n s i d e r i n g t h e m as c o m b i n a t i o n s o f
m a n y masses and springs. In the absence o f any d a m p i n g the bod~;
o n c e disturbed, would oscillate indefinitely. Its distance f r o m the equi-
librium position would vary sinusoidally and such m o t i o n is said to be
218
 SHIP DYNAMICS 219

simple harmonic. This type of m o t i o n is m e t in the study of ship motions

in still water. T h e presence of damping, due say to friction or viscous
effects, causes the m o t i o n to die down with time. The motion is also
affected by added mass effects d u e to the vibrating body interacting with
the fluid a r o u n d it. These are not usually significant for a body ~4brat-
ing in air but in water they can be important. There are many standard
texts to which the reader can refer for a mathematical treatment of these
motions. The i m p o r t a n t findings are merely summarized here.
T h e m o t i o n is characterized by its amplitude, A, and period, 7: For
u n d a m p e d motions the displacement at any time, t, is given by:

[( k ]
j
J
where:

M is the mass of the body,

k is the force acting per unit displacement, and
is a phase angle.

The period of this motion is 7" = 2rr(M/k) °:', and itsfiequenc3' is n = 1/7:
These are said to be the system's natural period and frequency.

Damping
All systems are subject to some damping, the simplest case being when
the d a m p i n g is proportional to the velocity. The effect is to modi~' the
period of the m o t i o n and cause the amplitude to diminish with time.
The period becomes 7~t = 27r/[ (k/M) - (p./2M)e] °5, frequency being
1 / T d, w h e r e / , is a d a m p i n g coefficient such that d a m p i n g force equals
/, (velocity).
Successive amplitudes decay according to the equation

A e x p [ - (p~/2M) t].

As the d a m p i n g increases the n u m b e r of oscillations about the m e a n

position will reduce until finally the body does n o t overshoot the equi-
librium position at all. The system is then said to be dead beat.
W h e n d a m p i n g is not proportional to the angular or linear velocity
the differential equation is n o t capable of easy solution. For m o r e
b a c k g r o u n d on these gTpes of m o t i o n reference should be m a d e to
standard textbooks.
220 SHIP DYNAMICS

Regular forced vibrations

Free vibrations can occur when for instance, a structural m e m b e r is
struck an instantaneous blow. More generally the disturbing force will
c o n t i n u e to be applied to the system for a longish period a n d will itself
fluctuate in amplitude. The simplest type of disturbing force to assume
for analysis purposes is one with constant amplitude varying sinus-
oidally with time. This would be the case where the ship is in a regular
wave system. The differential equation of motion, taking x as the dis-
p l a c e m e n t at time t, becomes:

M d X 2 + dx
dt 2 tx --dTt + kx = Fo sin a)t

The solution of this equation for x is the sum of two parts. The first
part is the solution of the equation with no forcing function. T h a t is, it
is the solution of the d a m p e d oscillation previously considered. The
second part is an oscillation at the frequency of the applied force. It is
x = B sin ( w t - 3').
After a time the first part will die away l e a ~ n g the oscillation in the
frequency of the forcing function. This is called a forced oscillation. It is
i m p o r t a n t to know its amplitude, B, a n d the phase angle, y. These can
be shown to be:

B=Fox
k [(1 - A2)2 + (ixeAe/Mk)] °-''

and

IzA 1
t a i l 'y -- (Mk)°
~ X (l - A2~

In these expressions A is called the tuning factor a n d is equal to

o~/(k/M) °5. T h a t is the t u n i n g factor is the ratio of the frequency of the
applied force to the natural frequency of the system. Since k represents
the stiffness of the system, l~i~/k is the displacement which would be
caused by a static force P~). The ratio of the amplitude of the dynamic
displacement to the static displacement is t e r m e d the magnification fac-
tor, Q. Q is given by:
 SHIP D~.~AMICS 221

/.t 1

L
1.0
Tuning factor, A

Fz)ure 11.1 Magnification factor

Curves of magnification factor can be plotted against tuning factor for a

range d a m p i n g coefficients as in Fi~lre 11.1. At small values o f A, Q tends
to unity and at very large values it tends to zero. In between these extremes
the response builds up to a m a x i m u m value which is higher the lower the
d a m p i n g coefficient. If the d a m p i n g were zero the response would be infi-
nite. For lightly d a m p e d systems the m a x i m u m displacement occurs very
close to the system's natural frequency and the tuning factor can be taken
as unity. W h e r e the frequency of the applied force is equal to the system's
natural frequency it is said that there is resonance. It is necessary to keep the
forcing frequency and natural frequency well separated if large amplitude
vibrations are to be avoided. At resonance the expression for the phase
angle gives y = tan-1 zc, giving a phase lag of 90 °.
In e n d e a v o u r i n g to avoid r e s o n a n c e it is i m p o r t a n t to r e m e m b e r
that m a n y systems have several natural f r e q u e n c i e s associated with dif-
f e r e n t d e f l e c t i o n profiles or modes o f vibration. An e x a m p l e is a vibrat-
ing b e a m that has m a n y modes, the first t h r e e o f which are shown in
Figure 11.2. All these m o d e s will be excited and the overall response
may show m o r e than o n e r e s o n a n c e peak.

Figure 11.2 Vibration modes

Irregular forcing function

In the above the forcing f u n c t i o n was assumed sinusoidal and o f con-
stant amplitude. T h e m o r e general case would be a force varying in an
 222 SHIP D~.~AMICS

i r r e g u l a r way. In this case the fi)rce can be analysed to obtain its con-
stituent r e g u l a r c o m p o n e n t s as was d o n e for the waves in an i r r e g u l a r
sea. T h e vibratory r e s p o n s e o f the system to the i r r e g u l a r force can
t h e n be t a k e n as the sum o f its responses to all the r e g u l a r c o m p o n e n t s .

Ship motions
T h e t h e o r y o f simple h a r m o n i c responses can be a p p l i e d readilv to the
m o t i o n s a ship would e x p e r i e n c e if subject to a small d i s t u r b a n c e in
still water. This can lead to the natural periods o f oscillation in roll,
pitch a n d heave. T h e m o t i o n following r e m o v a l o f the d i s t u r b i n g force
is that to be c o n s i d e r e d .

Rolling
I f p is the inclination to the vertical at any instant, a n d the ship is stable,
t h e r e will be a m o m e n t acting on it t e n d i n g to r e t u r n it to the u p r i g h t

k)gure 11.3 Rolling

(Figure 11.3). Since small d i s t u r b a n c e s are a s s u m e d the value o f this

m o m e n t will be p r o p o r t i o n a l to ~ a n d given by:

Displacement × GM r ×

This is the c o n d i t i o n for simple h a r m o n i c m o t i o n with a p e r i o d 7~,

d e f i n e d by:

k gGMr
/ _ 2 k,

(gG311.)o-,

w h e r e k~ is the radius o f ~ ' r a t i o n a b o u t a fore a n d aft axis.

 SHIP DS~AMICS 223

This p e r i o d is i n d e p e n d e n t o f q~ a n d such rolling is said to be isoch-

ronous. T h e relationship holds for most ships up to angles o f a b o u t 10 °
f r o m the vertical. It will be n o t e d that the greater GMT the s h o r t e r the
period. A ship with a short p e r i o d o f roll is said to be stiff and o n e with
a long p e r i o d o f roll is t e r m e d tender. Most p e o p l e find a slower m o t i o n ,
that is a t e n d e r ship, less unpleasant.

Pitching
This is c o n t r o l l e d by a similar e q u a t i o n to that for roll. In this case:

2 ,'/Tk v
To - (gGMI)O.5 for small angles.

Waterplane area A
W \

\~ Z _1
7
Fig~re 11.4 Heaving

Heaving
If z is the downward d i s p l a c e m e n t at anv instant t h e r e will be a n e t
upward force o n the ship, that is o n e t e n d i n g to r e d u c e z, which has a
m a g n i t u d e o f pgAwz a n d the resulting m o t i o n is d e f i n e d by:

d2z
pV - pgA wz
dt 2

where Aw is the waterplane area.

Again the m o t i o n is simple h a r m o n i c , this time o f period:

( V "{15
T~ = 2rr - -

A d d e d m a s s and d a m p i n g
A d d e d mass and d a m p i n g will affect these motions a n d their periods as
discussed earlier. A d d e d mass values vaD, with the f r e q u e n c y o f m o t i o n
224 SHIP DYNAMICS

but, to a first order, this variation can be ignored. Typically the effect
for rolling is to increase the radius o f ~ ' r a t i o n by a b o u t 5 per cent. In
heaving its i n f l u e n c e is greater and may a m o u n t to as m u c h as an
a p p a r e n t d o u b l i n g o f the mass o f the ship.
T h e m o r e general aspects o f ship motions are discussed in c h a p t e r
12 on Seakeeping.

SHIP VIBRATIONS

Vibrations are dealt with as e i t h e r local vibrations or main hull vibrations.

T h e f o r m e r are c o n c e r n e d with a small part o f the structure, perhaps an
area o f deck. T h e frequencies are usually higher, and the amplitudes
lower, than the main hull vibrations. Because there are so many possi-
bilities and the calculations can be c o m p l e x they are not usually studied
directly d u r i n g design e x c e p t where large excitation forces are anti-
cipated. Generally the designer avoids m a c h i n e o " which g e n e r a t e dis-
turbing frequencies close to those o f g]oical ship D]~e structures. Ally
faults are c o r r e c t e d as a result o f trials experience. This is often m o r e
e c o n o m i c than carrying out extensive design calculations as the r e m e d y
is usually a m a t t e r o f a d d i n g a small a m o u n t o f additional stiffening.
Main hull vibrations are a different matter. If they do o c c u r the remed-
ial action may be very expensive. T h e y must t h e r e f o r e be l o o k e d at in
design. T h e hull may b e n d as a b e a m or twist like a r o d a b o u t its longi-
tudinal axis. T h e s e two m o d e s o f vibration are called flexural a n d tor-
sional respectively. Flexing may o c c u r in a vertical or horizontal plane
b u t the vertical flexing is usually the m o r e worr}'ing. E x c e p t in lightly
s t r u c t u r e d ships the torsional m o d e is not usually too i m p o r t a n t .

Flexural vibrations
W h e n flexing in the vertical or horizontal planes the structure has an
infinite n u m b e r o f degrees o f f r e e d o m and the m o d e o f vibration is
described by the n u m b e r o f nodes which exist in the length. T h e fun-
d a m e n t a l m o d e is the two-node as shown in Figure 11.5.
This yields a d i s p l a c e m e n t at the ends o f the ship since t h e r e is n o
rigid s u p p o r t there. This is often r e f e r r e d to as a free-free m o d e and dif-
fers f r o m that which would be taken up by a strnctural b e a m where
t h e r e would be zero d i s p l a c e m e n t at o n e e n d at least. T h e n e x t two
h i g h e r m o d e s have t h r e e and f o u r nodes. All are free-free and can
o c c u r in b o t h planes. 'Associated with each m o d e is a natural f r e q u e n c y
o f free vibration, the f r e q u e n c y being h i g h e r for the h i g h e r modes. If
the ship were o f u n i f o r m rigidiD~ and u n i f o r m mass distribution along
its length a n d was s u p p o r t e d at its ends, the f r e q u e n c i e s o f the h i g h e r
m o d e s would be simple multiples o f the f i m d a m e n t a l . In practice ships
 SHIP DYNAMICS 225

(a)

~ N N N

(b)

~ N N N N~

(c)

Figure 11.5 (a) Two-node; (b) Three-node; (c) FouHlode

d i f f e r f r o m this a l t h o u g h p e r h a p s n o t as m u c h as m i g h t b e e x p e c t e d ,
as is s h o w n i n T a b l e 11.1 ( D i e u d o n n e , 1959). It will b e n o t e d t h a t t h e
g r e a t e r m a s s o f a l o a d e d s h i p l e a d s to a r e d u c t i o n i n f r e q u e n c y .

Table 11.1 Typical ship vibration frequencies (cpm)

Ship type Length Condition Frequency of vibration

(m) of loading
Vertical Horizontal

2 3 4 5 2 3 4
node n o d e node node node node node

Tanker 227 Light 59 121 188 248 103 198 297

Loaded 52 108 166 220 83 159 238
Passengership 136 104 177 155 341
Cargo ship 85 Light 150 290 230
Loaded 135 283 200
Cargo ship 130 Light 106 210 180 353
Loaded 85 168 135 262
Destroyer 160 Average 85 180 240 120 200
action

Torsional vibration
I n this c a s e t h e d i s p l a c e m e n t is a n g u l a r a n d a o n e - n o d e m o d e o f v i b r a -
t i o n is p o s s i b l e . F i g u r e 11.6 s h o w s t h e first t h r e e m o d e s .
226 SHIP D~.~AMICS

(a)

----.-.......~. N N ........---~

(b)

~ N N N

(c)
Figure11.6 (a) One-node; (b) Two-node; (c) Three-node

Coupling
It is c o m m o n l y assumed for analysis p u r p o s e s that the various m o d e s
o f vibration are i n d e p e n d e n t and can be treated separately. In some
circumstances, however, vibrations in o n e m o d e can g e n e r a t e vibration
in another. In this case the m o t i o n s are said to be coupled. For instance
in a ship a horizontal xdbration will often excite torsional vibration
because o f the n o n - u n i f o r m distribution o f mass in the vertical plane.

CALCULATIONS
Formulae for ship vibration
T h e f o r m u l a e for u n i f o r m beams suggests that for the ship an approxi-
m a t i o n will be given by a f o r m u l a o f the type:

Frequency = Const. I , ~ }
I EI ~-'

Suggestions for the valne o f the constant for different ship n~pes have
b e e n m a d e b u t these can onh' be very a p p r o x i m a t e because o f the
m a n y variables involved in ships. T h e most i m p o r t a n t are:

(1) Mass and stiffness distribution along the length.

(2) D e p a r t u r e f r o m ordinat T simple theol T d u e to shear deflection
and structural discontinuities.
 SHIP D5. ~ A M I C S 227

(3) A d d e d mass.
(4) Rotary inertia.

Direct calculation o f vibration

Empirical f o r m u l a e enable a first shot to be m a d e at the f r e q u e n c y o f
vibration. T h e accuracy will d e p e n d u p o n the a m o u n t o f data available
f r o m ships o n which to base the coefficients. It is desirable to be able to
calculate values directly taking a c c o u n t o f the specific ship characteris-
tics a n d loading. T h e s e days a filll finite e l e m e n t analysis could be car-
ried o u t to give the vibration frequencies, including the h i g h e r o r d e r
modes. Before such m e t h o d s b e c a m e available t h e r e were two m e t h o d s
used for calculating the two-node frequency:

(1) T h e deflection method or full integral method.

(2) T h e energy method.

The deflection method

In this m e t h o d the ship is r e p r e s e n t e d as a b e a m vibrating in simple har-
m o n i c m o t i o n in which, at any m o m e n t , the deflection at any position
along the length is y =f(x)sinpt. T h e function f(x) for n o n - u n i f o r m
mass and stiffness distribution is u n k n o w n but it can be a p p r o x i m a t e d
by the curve for the free-free vibration o f a u n i f o r m beam.
Differentiating y twice with respect to time gives the acceleration at
any p o i n t as p r o p o r t i o n a l to y and the square o f the frequency. This
leads to the dynamic loading. Integrating again gives the shear force
a n d a n o t h e r integration gives the b e n d i n g m o m e n t . A d o u b l e integra-
tion o f the b e n d i n g m o m e n t curve gives the deflection curve. At each
stage the constants o f integration can be evaluated f r o m the e n d con-
ditions. T h e d e f l e c t i o n curve now o b t a i n e d can be c o m p a r e d with that
originally assumed for f(x). If the}, differ significantly a s e c o n d approxi-
m a t i o n can be o b t a i n e d by using the derived curve as the new i n p u t to
the calculation.
In using the deflection profile o f a u n i f o r m b e a m it must be r e m e m -
b e r e d that the ship's mass is n o t uniformly distributed, n o r is it gener-
ally symmetrically distributed a b o u t amidships. This means that in
carrying out the integrations for shear force and b e n d i n g m o m e n t the
curves p r o d u c e d will n o t close at the ends o f the ship. In practice t h e r e
can be n o force or m o m e n t at the ends so corrections are n e e d e d . A
bodily shift o f the base line for the shear force curve and a tilt o f the
b e n d i n g m o m e n t curve are used.
In the calculation the mass per unit length must allow for the mass o f
the e n t r a i n e d water using o n e of the m e t h o d s described for dealing with
a d d e d virtual mass. T h e b e n d i n g t h e o r y used ignores shear deflection
228 SHIP DYNAMICS

and rotary inertia effects. Corrections for these are m a d e at the e n d by

applying factors to the calculated frequency.

The energy method

This m e t h o d uses the principle that, in the absence of damping, the
total energy of a vibrating system is constant. D a m p i n g exists in any real
system but for ships it is acceptable to ignore it for the present purpose.
H e n c e the sum of the kinetic a n d potential energies is constant.
In a vibrating beam the kinetic energy is that of the mo~5ng masses and
initially this is assumed to be due to linear motion only: Assuming simple
harmonic motion and a mass distribution, the kinetic energy is obtained
from the accelerations d e d u c e d from an assumed deflection profile and
frequency. The potential energy is the strain energy of bending.
W h e n the beam is passing t h r o u g h its equilibrium position the vel-
ocity will be a m a x i m u m and there will be no b e n d i n g m o m e n t at that
instant. All the energy is kinetic. Similarly when at its m a x i m u m deflec-
tion the energy is entirely potential. Since the total energy is constant
the kinetic energy in the o n e case can be equated to the potential
energy in the other.
As in the deflection m e t h o d the initial deflection profile is taken as
that of a uniform bar. As before allowance is made for shear deflection
and for rotary inertia. Applying this energy m e t h o d to the case of the sim-
ply supported, uniform section, beam with a concentrated mass M a t mid-
span and assuming a sinusoidal deflection curve, yields a frequency of:

1 (rr4EI] °5 1 (48EI~ ~5
2rr~ZM13 ) compared with ~ , ~ ) for the exact solution.

Since rr4/2 is 48.7 the two results are in good agreement. This simple
example suggests that as long as the correct e n d conditions are satis-
fied there is considerable latitude in the choice of the form of the
deflection profile.

Calculation of higher modes

It m i g h t be expected that the frequencies of h i g h e r modes could be
obtained by the above m e t h o d s by assuming the appropriate deflection
profile to match the m o d e n e e d e d . Unfortunately', instead of the
assumed deflection curve converging to the correct one it tends to
diverge with successive iterations. This is d u e to the profile c o n t a i n i n g
a c o m p o n e n t of the two-node profile which becomes d o m i n a n t . Whilst
ways have b e e n developed to deal with this, one would today choose to
carry out a finite e l e m e n t analysis.
 SHIP DYNAMICS 229

Approximate formulae
It has been seen that the mass and stiffness distributions in the ship are
important in deriving vibration frequencies. Such data is not available
in the early design stages when the designer needs some idea of the fre-
quencies for the ship. Hence there has always been a need for simple
empirical formulae. Schlick (1884) suggested that:

( EI a "~O'r'
Frequency = Const. [ - ~ : ~ J

where I a is the m o m e n t of inertia of the midship section.

This formula has severe limitations and various authorities have pro-
posed modifications to it.
Burrill (1934-1935) suggested one allowing for added mass and
shear deflection.
The frequency was given as:

X( I ~):,
Const.

B ]0.5
1 + ~) (1 + r~)°5

where rs is the deflection correction factor.

Todd (1961) adapted Schlick to allow for added mass, the total ~4r-
tual displacement being given by:

A B +

He concluded that I should allow for superstructures in excess of 40

per cent of the ship length. For ships ~dth and without superstructure
the results for the two-node xfibration generally obeyed the rule:

.5
Frequency = 238 660¢ ~ / + 29
~,A,.Ls

i f / i s in m 4, dimensions in m and A is in MN.

230 SHIP DS.~AMICS

By approximating the value o f / , Todd proposed:

(m)
Frequency = Const. × [ A I)

Typical values of the constant in SI units, were found to be

Large tankers (full load) 11 000

Small tankers (flfll load) 8 150
Cargo ships (60 per cent load) 9 200

Many other approximate formulae have been suggested. The simpler

forms are acceptable for comparing ships which are closely similar. The
designer must use the data available to obtain the best estimate of fre-
quency allowing for the basic parameters which control the physical
phenomenon.

VIBRATION LEVELS
Amplitudes of vibration
It has been seen that the amplitude of oscillation of a simple mass
spring combination depends upon the damping and magnification fac-
tor. The situation for a ship is more complex. Allowance must be made
for at least the first three or four modes, superimposing the resuhs for
each. This can be done by finite element analysis and once the ampli-
tude has been obtained the corresponding hull stress can be evaluated.
The question then arises as to whether the amplitude of x~bration is
acceptable. Limitations may be imposed by the reactions of humans,
equipment or by strength considerations. Sensitive equipment can be
protected by placing them on special mounts and this is done quite
extensively in warships in particular. H u m a n beings respond mainly to
the vertical acceleration they experience. Cm~,es are published (BS 6634;
ISO 6954) indicating the combinations of frequency and displacement
that are likely to be acceptable.

Checking vibration levels

It will be appreciated by now that accurate calculation of vibration levels
is difficult. It is possible to put a check upon the levels likely to be achieved
as the ship nears structural completion by using a vibration exciter. The
exciter is simply a de~4ce for generating large xibratorv forces bv rotating
an out of balance weight. Placed at appropriate positions in the ship it can
be activated and the structural response to know,a1 forces measured.
 SHIP D~A.MICS 231

Reducing vibration
I d e a l l y v i b r a t i o n w o u l d b e e l i m i n a t e d c o m p l e t e l y b u t this is n o t a r e a l -
istic g o a l . I n p r a c t i c e a d e s i g n e r a i m s to:

(1) B a l a n c e all f o r c e s in r e c i p r o c a t i n g a n d r o t a r y m a c h i n e r y a n d in
the propeller.
(2) P r o v i d e g o o d flow i n t o t h e p r o p e l l e r a n d site it c l e a r o f t h e h u l l .
(3) A v o i d r e s o n a n c e by c h a n g i n g t h e stiffness o f c o m p o n e n t s o r
varying the exciting frequencies.
(4) U s e s p e c i a l m o u n t s to s h i e l d s e n s i t i v e e q u i p m e n t f r o m t h e
vibration.
(5) F i t a f o r m o f v i b r a t i o n d a m p e r , e i t h e r active o r passive.

T h e two m a i n s o u r c e s o f v i b r a t i o n a r e t h e m a c h i n e r y a n d p r o p e l l e r s .

Vibration testing of equipment

M o s t e q u i p m e n t s a r e f i t t e d in a r a n g e o f s h i p s a n d in d i f f e r e n t p o s -
i t i o n s in a s h i p . T h u s t h e i r d e s i g n c a n n o t b e t a i l o r e d to t o o s p e c i f i c a
v i b r a t i o n s p e c i f i c a t i o n . I n s t e a d t h e y a r e d e s i g n e d to s t a n d a r d c r i t e r i a
a n d t h e n s a m p l e s a r e t e s t e d to c o n f i r m t h a t t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s h a v e
b e e n m e t . T h e s e tests i n c l u d e e n d u r a n c e t e s t i n g f o r s e v e r a l h o u r s in
t h e v i b r a t i o n e n v i r o n m e n t . T a b l e 11.2 gives test c o n d i t i o n s f o r n a v a l
e q u i p m e n t s to b e f i t t e d to a n u m b e r o f w a r s h i p types.

Table 11.2 Vibration response and endmance test levels for surface warships

Ship type R<~io~ Standard test levJel Etzdur(lr~ce lesls

Peak values and
frequene)" range

Minesweeper Masthead 1.25 ram, 5 to 14Hz 1.25 mm, 14Hz

size and above 0.3ram, 14 to 23Hz 0.3 ram, 23 Hz
0.125 ram, 23 to 33 Hz 0.125mm, 33 Hz
Each 1 hour
Main 0.125 ram, 5 to 33Hz 0.125mm, 33Hz
For 3 hours
Smaller than Masthead and 0.2 mm or a velocity of 0.2 ram, 50 Hz
minesweeper main 63 mln/s whichever is less. For 3 hours
7 to 300 Hz
Aftermost 1 of 0.4 mm or a velocity of 0.4 nun, 24 Hz
ship length 60 mm/s whichever is less.
7 to 300 Hz For 3 hours
232 SHIP DYNAMICS

In Table 11.2 the masthead region is that part of the ship above the
main hull and superstructure. The main hull includes the upper deck,
internal compartments and the hull.

SUMMARY

The simple dynamic responses of a hull to cyclic forces, including

vibrations have been reviewed. Levels of vibration must meet inter-
nationally agreed standards. Some simplified formulae are given upon
which preliminary design assessments can be based. Considerable
advances have been made in recent years in methods of analysis avail-
able to tackle vibration but the mathematics is beyond the scope of this
book. Having calculated, during design, the vibration amplitudes
expected, these can be checked as the build nears completion, by set-
ting up and running a vibration generator on board. Finally the ship's
acceptance trials are the final demonstration of how successful a
designer has been in reducing vibration levels to acceptable limits.