Resistance

William Froude first discovered that there are two

principle forms of resistance:-

Frictional Resistance.
Is due to the friction of the water as it slides over
the surface of the hull.

It is dependent on the speed of flow, length of

hull and the viscosity of the water.
Reynolds Number Re = V.L/
 is the kinematic viscosity

Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance

Reynolds Number Re = V.L/

 is the kinematic viscosity

Kinematic viscosity of water:

Temp oC Fresh x 10-6 Salt x 10-6

16 1.1097 1.1592
18 1.0546 1.1044
20 1.0037 1.0537
22 0.9568 1.0068

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 Resistance

Wave Making.
Is due to the pressure disturbances in the flow
around the hull causing wave systems at the bow
and stern.

It is dependent on the the inverse of the square

root of length.
Froude Number Fn = V/root gL.
g is the acceleration due to gravity

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 Resistance
Frictional Resistance
Initially the flow is smooth, stream lines are
distinct and do not cross - Laminar Flow

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 Resistance
Frictional Resistance
The local Reynolds Number is small - small L1

L1

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 Resistance
Frictional Resistance
As Re increases the flow starts to become
TURBULENT - Critical Re @ L2

L2

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 Resistance
Frictional Resistance
A turbulent BOUNDARY layer is created,
extending aft and thickening.

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 Resistance
Wave Making
A rise in pressure is initiated at the bow, creating
a bow wave system, moving at the same speed.

The wave length  is the distance between peaks.

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 Resistance
Wave Making
A fall in pressure at the stern causes a stern
wave system, moving at the same speed.

This has the same wave length 

 

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 Resistance
Wave Making
The wave length is a function of speed. The
faster the speed the longer the wave

 

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 Resistance
Wave Making
The wave length is a function of speed. The
faster the speed the longer the wave, and the
bigger the wave

 

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 Resistance
Wave Making
The bow and stern wave systems interact
differently with changing speed

At some speeds they tend to cancel each other -

leading to hollows in the wave resistance curve

Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Wave Making
The bow and stern wave systems interact
differently with changing speed

At other speeds they tend to add to each other -

leading to humps in the wave resistance curve

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 Resistance
Wave Making
The bow and stern wave systems interact
differently with changing speed

Prismatic hump is about when 1.5 = 0.9 Lwl

Fn = 0.31
9 Lwl



Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Wave Making
The bow and stern wave systems interact
differently with changing speed

Hull speed is about when 0.5 = 0.9 Lwl

Fn = 0.535
9 Lwl



Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Wave Making
The bow and stern wave systems interact
differently with changing speed

The hull will squat heavily at the stern, and cannot go

faster

9 Lwl



Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Wave Making
The bow and stern wave systems interact
differently with changing speed

The hull will squat heavily at the stern, and cannot go

faster
9 Lwl



Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Wave Making Wave Resistance

These interaction 6000

will be apparent
5000
on a graph of
wave resistance
4000
as:-

Wave Resistance
Humps 3000

2000
Hollows
1000

0
0.200 0.250 0.300 0.350 0.400 0.450 0.500 0.550
Froude Number Fn

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 Resistance
Total Upright Resistance

Total resistance is:

Friction Resistance Rf + Wave Resistance Rw

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 Resistance
Total Upright Resistance
Frictional resistance can be calculated from Reynold’s
number.

1 0.075
R f   .S .V 2 .C f Cf 
2  log Re  2  2

Cf = Friction coefficient
V .L
Re 
S = wetted surface area 
V = Speed m/s

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 Resistance
Total Upright Resistance
Wave resistance has to be measured from models

1
Rw   .S .V 2 .C w
2

Cw = Wave coefficient - found from model tests or

systematic series
S = wetted surface area
V = Speed m/s

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 Resistance
Testing scale models is the best way to find the
resistance at full size, but there is a problem.
Friction resistance depends on L, but wave resistance
depends on 1/rootL, so we cannot simply scale up model
total model resistance

Friction resistance at model scale is calculated based on

model wetted area and speed.
It is then subtracted from the Total model resistance,
leaving the model scale wave resistance.
This is scaled to full size, and calculated full size friction is
added back in, giving full scale Total resistance.

Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Testing scale models is the best way to find the
resistance at full size, but there is a problem.
Since model speed and length are small the flow at model
scale is LAMINAR.

At full size the speed and length are much greater so much
of the flow ill be TURBULENT

This will give differences in the frictional resistance unless

we correct for this.

This is done by adding TURBULATORS to the model to

stimulate turbulent flow.

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 Resistance
Resistance
A typical resistance
3000 plot looks like this

2500

2000
TOTAL upright
Resistance

1500

Wave component
1000

500 Friction component

0
0.200 0.250 0.300 0.350 0.400 0.450 0.500
Froude Number Fn

Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Resistance
A typical resistance
3000 plot looks like this

2500
At low speeds the
friction component
makes up the majority
2000

of the Total drag.

Resistance

1500

1000

500

0
0.200 0.250 0.300 0.350 0.400 0.450 0.500
Froude Number Fn

Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Resistance
A typical resistance
3000 plot looks like this

2500
As hull speed is
approached the wave
component increases
2000

rapidly, until it is 70-

Resistance

1500
80% of the total

1000

500

0
0.200 0.250 0.300 0.350 0.400 0.450 0.500
Froude Number Fn

Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent

 Resistance
Resistance
A typical resistance
3000 plot looks like this

2500
At typical windward
sailing speeds Wave
resistance is less than
2000

half the total

Resistance

1500

1000

500

0
0.200 0.250 0.300 0.350 0.400 0.450 0.500
Froude Number Fn

Stephen Wallis - Southampton Solent