Development of a control-oriented model of the vertical motions of a fast ferry

As a main part of a research study on the control of active flaps and a T-foil of a high-speed ferry, a control-oriented model of vertical motions of the ship has been developed. The objective of the control is to improve comfort, decreasing the impact of heave and pitch motions. We have experimental data from a towing tank institution and simulations with PRECAL. The model is based on a decomposition of the physic phenomena into two main aspects: the coupling of the ship with distance between waves and the dynamics of a semisubmerged mass. The model can be handled with MATLAB-SIMULINK, which is useful for studying control strategies. The model shows good agreement (model validation) with the experimental and simulated data for regular and irregular waves. The article shows a methodology, based on MATLAB tools, for obtaining control-oriented models from computer-aided design (CAD)-based programs. That means that the control-oriented model can be derived from the ship design, even before the ship is built.