An experimental system for measurement of dynamics of damaged ships

In 2012, Costa Concordia was grounded and 32 passengers were lost. Damage stability is one of the most important research subjects for naval architects. It is impossible to conduct model experiments for all the possible scenarios of damage situations, defined as combinations of damage openings, compartments and operational conditions. So, it is essential to use numerical simulation for the quantitative safety assessment of damaged ships. For the validation of numerical simulation codes, we need high quality results of model experiments which can log the ship motion and flooding water situations from the occurrence of damage opening to the final static condition. For this purpose, we built up an experimental measurement system for damaged ship models. Using this highly controlled system, ship motions of a damaged large passenger ship are measured and the reliability of the measurement is demonstrated. Although the motion is significantly nonlinear, three experimental data are coincides well with each other.