Abstract
This paper represents a basic statistical examination on the navigability of ocean-going ship from the point of estimating the time lasting period when propeller racing occurred by using the basic probability theory and the statistics. The propeller racing is one of the most important seakeeping qualities in relation to the safety of the main engine and shafting system. The trend of the racing has been mainly investigated in order to estimate allowable maximum propeller diameter, operation of ocean-going ships, etc.. In those studies, the propeller racing generally and mainly means the situation (propeller exposed) in which the relative motion amplitude between ship hull and wave surface would exceed a depth of point in rotary disk propeller. Therefore, it seems that the magnitude of the amplitude and its exceeding frequency of propeller racing have been examined as a principal subject of study as usual. However, the time during which the amplitude exceeds the depth of point, that is, the propeller exposes in the air, must be also one of most important factor affecting the trend of propeller racing. Then, this paper proposes a new practical method for estimating the time lasting of exposed propeller related to propeller racing in rough-confused seas on the basis of the linear strip theory and the statistics. And, numerical examples of estimating the propeller racing probability are given for four wide ship forms. Finally the usefulness of the proposed method for predicting propeller racing based on the time lasting period is discussed.