Study of air-ventilated cavity under model hull on water surface

The use of air cavities beneath ship hulls can lead to significant drag reduction. A study of air-ventilated cavities under a simplified hull has been undertaken. Experiments with a 56-cm-long stepped-hull model were carried in an open-surface water channel at flow velocities 28–86 cm/s. The air-cavity parameters were measured at different model positions. Different cavity forms, a strong growth of the cavity length with the flow velocity, and an optimal trim angle for the largest air-cavity area were identified. Numerical studies were conducted using a linear potential-flow method and the finite-volume viscous code Fluent. The computationally inexpensive three-dimensional potential-flow modeling predicted air-cavity shapes and provided qualitative agreement with the measured average length of the air cavity. Two-dimensional viscous modeling reasonably predicted macroscopic features and viscous effects in the air-cavity flow, while exaggerated the mixed-phase flow regions.