Effects of Air Injections on the Resistance Reduction of a Semi-Planing Hull

The effects of the air on the reductions in resistance when supplied under the bottom of a semi-planing ship with a step are investigated in the present study. A 1.275m long FRP model is constructed and the pressure and viscous tangential stresses over the planing surface of the hull with and without air supply are measured through measuring holes carefully selected at the towing tank of Seoul National University. Locations of holes most suitable for air injection are surveyed in front of the planing surface of the model with careful examinations of the limiting streamlines and pressure distributions measured without air supply. At those locations, found to be just front of the step, air has been supplied into a wake region to form an air filled cavity of fixed type. Flow rates and pressure of the supplied air as well as the local pressure and shear stress distributions on the hull surface are measured to understand the physics involved as well as to determine the conditions most effective in resistance reduction at the design speed. It has been found that total resistance of the stepped semi-planing hull can be considerably reduced if an air cavity generated by an adequate air injection at the bottom of the hull near the step. After the cavity optimized at the given speed, air bubbles also have been generated right behind the point where dividing streamlines re-attach to further reduce the frictional resistance but found to be not so effective as the air cavity in resistance reductions.