Basics of Naval Architecture Lecture 3:

and Ship Construction

Form Coefficients

Faculty of Maritime Studies – Marine Engineering Department Faculty of Maritime Studies – Marine Engineering Department

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 FORM COEFFICIENTS
Form coefficients are ratios which numerically compare the
ship’s underwater form to that of a regular shape (such as a
rectangle or box-shape).
Coefficient of fineness of waterplane (CWP)
Is defined as the ratio of the ship’s water-plane area to the area
of a rectangle having the same length and breadth of the ship at
the waterline in question.

They are primarily used at the design stage, prior to

construction, to determine factors such as resistance to forward
motion that the ship will experience during operation, this then
being used to determine the ship’s power requirements/engine(s)
size.

Design coefficients of primary concern are: WPA (m 2) Waterline

breadth

Coefficient of fineness of waterplane (CWP)

Waterline length
Block coefficient (CB)
CWP = WPA
Midship section area coefficient (CM) L B

Longitudinal prismatic coefficient (CP) Since the ship’s WPA is less in area than the rectangle formed
around it , the value of CW must always be less than (1.00).

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Block coefficient (CB)
The block coefficient (CB) of a ship is the ratio between the
underwater volume of a ship and the volume of the
circumscribing block.
CB = Volume of displacement
L B  d
Therefore: DisplacementSHIP = (L B  d  CB)  
Since the ship’s volume of displacement is less than the volume
of displacement of the surrounding block, the value of CB must
always be less than (1.00).
Block coefficient is an important factor when distinguishing the
fineness and fullness of a given hull form.
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Midship section area coefficient (CM)
The Midship section area coefficient (CM) of a ship at any
draught is the ratio of the underwater transverse area of the
midships section to the product of the breadth and draught (i.e.,
the surrounding rectangle).
W L
Am Draught
Breadth
CM = Underwater transverse area of midships section (Am)
Breadth  Draught
Similarly, the value of CM must always be less than (1.00).
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Longitudinal prismatic coefficient (CP)
The longitudinal prismatic coefficient (CP) of a ship at any
draught is the ratio of the underwater volume of the ship to the
volume of the prism formed by the product of the transverse
area of the midships section and the waterline length.
CP = Volume of displacement of ship
Volume of prism
CP = Volume of displacement of ship
Waterline length  Area of midships section (Am)
This coefficient gives an indication of how much the ship’s form
changes at the ends. Similarly, the value of CP must always be
less than (1.00).
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Typical Values of Form Coefficients
Some typical values (for rough guidance only) are presented in
Table 1, below.
The values of these coefficients can provide useful information
about the ship form. For instance, the block coefficient indicates
whether the form is full or fine. A slow ship can afford a
relatively high block coefficient as its resistance is
predominately frictional. A high value is good for cargo carrying
and is often obtained by using a length of parallel middle body,
perhaps 15  20% of the total length.
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The angle a waterline makes with the centreline at the bow is
termed the angle of entrance and influences resistance. As speed
increases, a designer will reduce the length of parallel middle
body to give a lower prismatic coefficient, keeping the same
midship section area coefficient.
As speed increases still further, the midship section area
coefficient will be reduced, usually by introducing a rise of
floor. A low value of midship section area coefficient indicates a
high rise of floor with rounded bilges. It will be associated with
a higher prismatic coefficient.
A large value of vertical prismatic will indicate body sections of
U form; a low value will indicate V sections. These features
affect the seakeeping performance including slamming.

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