A comprehensive unsteady RANS numerical investigation to unveil the influence of wave steepness on the motion dynamics and added resistance of a ship in waves

In this study, we investigate the influence of wave steepness on both ship motions and added resistance in regular head waves by conducting simulations at three distinct wave steepness levels using unsteady RANS method. Numerical results show that, when wavelength comparable to the ship length, the interaction of body nonlinearity and wave nonlinearity results in highly nonlinear behavior in the time history of added resistance. The study illustrates, step-by-step, the hydrodynamic pressure distribution on the hull during an encounter period, highlighting the time-varying nature of the added resistance. Examining the visualised results, it is observed that in certain instances, high pressure may be exerted on the flat bottom of the trimmed ship and contribute significantly to the added resistance. It is observed that, when wavelength is comparable to ship length, the added resistance coefficient decreases with increasing wave steepness. Specifically, at lambda /L PP = 1.15, | C AW,H/lambda =1 / 30-C AW,H/lambda =1 / 6 0 | C AW,H/lambda =1 / 60 added resistance exhibits limited nonlinearity. However, obtaining stable results in such cases proves challenging. Finally, the influence of wave steepness on added resistance is quantified. The results are useful for improving the transparent methods for predicting the added resistance in wave. = 27.1%. In relatively short waves the diffraction phenomena dominate and the resulting