Numerical study of trimaran motion and wave load prediction based on time-domain Rankine-Green matching method

Abstract The theoretical prediction of trimaran motion and load in complex environment has always been a hot issue in the field of ship and ocean engineering. Based on the calculation principle of Rankine source and free-surface Green function for solving ship-wave interaction, a new kind of nonlinear three-dimensional time-domain Rankine-Green matching method for simulating the trimaran motion and wave load in head seas is studied. In the numerical simulation, the influence of factors such as wave slamming, green water, panel space and density, are investigated systematically. And the elevation of surrounding wave surface caused by speed effect and side hull interference is also considered to modify the instantaneous impact load. In order to verify the reliability of Rankine-Green matching method, a kind of segmented trimaran model with water jet propulsion system was designed and taken in regular and irregular waves. Finally, the numerical forecasting values based on Rankine-Green matching method are compared with the results of model test and traditional frequency-domain Green function method to illustrate its advantages and application scope.