Current Projects

ONR T-craft

ONR T-craft

The Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories (MHL) received funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop an accurate numerical model to predict the resistance, propulsion, maneuvering and motions (seakeeping) of an amphibious vehicle utilizing tracked propulsion through a combined approach of physical modeling and numerical development. A traditional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach to this problem is not accurate or practical due to the complexity of the hull and track hydrodynamic interaction and the interaction of the vehicle with the beach in the surf zone. It is known that CFD codes incorporating viscous effects are not yet capable of producing sufficiently accurate hull force and moment information to develop the maneuvering model; hence the need for physical model tests. The MHL intends to develop physics-based analytical models concurrently with the physical testing, utilizing the results of the physical testing to improve and validate the analytical models. The data required to develop the numerical models will be provided by model testing in the physical modeling basin and related facilities as well as open water physical testing.

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