Computational Naval Architecture: CFD and FEA Methods

Lesson 1 • Ship Geometry and Hull Form

Covers lines plans, offsets, and parametric hull descriptors. Establishes geometric vocabulary used in mesh generation and structural modelling.

Lesson 2 • Resistance and Propulsion Fundamentals

Introduces frictional, wave, and viscous pressure resistance components. Links resistance decomposition to the flow physics modelled in CFD.

Lesson 3 • Hydrostatics and Stability Basics

Derives buoyancy, displacement, and metacentric height from first principles. Provides the static pressure loading context for later FEA hull analyses.

Lesson 4 • Structural Loads on Ship Hulls

Identifies still-water and wave-induced bending moments, shear forces, and local pressure loads. Frames the load cases that drive FEA model setup.

Lesson 1 • Conservation Laws in Fluid Mechanics

Presents mass, momentum, and energy conservation in integral and differential forms. These equations are the mathematical core of every CFD solver used later.

Lesson 2 • Dimensional Analysis and Similarity

Applies Buckingham Pi theorem to derive non-dimensional groups for ship flows. Enables correct scaling between model tests and full-scale CFD predictions.

Lesson 3 • Turbulence Modelling Approaches

Compares RANS, LES, and hybrid turbulence closures for marine applications. Equips students to choose models balancing accuracy and computational cost.

Lesson 4 • Free-Surface and Multiphase Flow

Introduces Volume of Fluid and level-set methods for air-water interface capture. Essential for wave resistance and seakeeping CFD simulations.

Lesson 1 • Stress, Strain, and Elasticity

Defines stress and strain tensors, Hooke's law, and material constitutive relations. Provides the continuum mechanics foundation for FEA element formulations.

Lesson 2 • Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics

Introduces S-N curves, stress concentration factors, and fracture mechanics for marine structural details. Prepares students for fatigue life FEA post-processing.

Lesson 3 • Dynamics and Vibration Fundamentals

Presents natural frequencies, mode shapes, and forced response for ship structural systems. Grounds modal and harmonic FEA analyses performed in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Beam, Plate, and Shell Theory

Derives bending, shear, and membrane behaviour for structural elements common in ship structures. Connects analytical solutions to FEA element selection.

Lesson 1 • Verification and Validation Principles

Defines V&V methodology, grid convergence index, and uncertainty quantification for numerical simulations. Establishes the quality assurance framework used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Finite Volume Method for CFD

Formulates convection-diffusion equations on control volumes with flux interpolation. Directly maps to the discretisation used in marine RANS solvers.

Lesson 3 • Solver Algorithms and Linear Systems

Compares direct and iterative solvers for large sparse systems arising in CFD and FEA. Guides solver selection based on problem size and conditioning.

Lesson 4 • Finite Difference Methods

Derives explicit and implicit finite difference schemes for model PDEs. Introduces truncation error and stability analysis as precursors to CFD solver theory.

Lesson 1 • Structured and Block-Structured Meshing

Builds O-grid and H-grid topologies around hull forms for high-quality boundary layer resolution. Structured meshes maximise CFD accuracy for resistance predictions.

Lesson 2 • Unstructured and Hybrid Meshing

Generates tetrahedral, polyhedral, and prism-layer meshes for complex appendages and superstructures. Hybrid meshing balances automation with near-wall accuracy.

Lesson 3 • Overset and Dynamic Meshing

Implements overset (Chimera) grids and morphing meshes for ship motions and propeller rotation. Required for seakeeping and self-propulsion CFD simulations.

Lesson 4 • FEA Mesh for Ship Structures

Creates shell, solid, and beam element meshes for global and local structural models. Mesh density and element type selection directly control FEA accuracy.

Lesson 1 • Resistance and Wave-Making Simulation

Sets up RANS simulations for calm-water resistance including free-surface wave patterns. Covers domain sizing, boundary conditions, and result extraction.

Lesson 2 • Appendage and Resistance Optimisation

Analyses rudder, bilge keel, and bulbous bow performance using parametric CFD studies. Demonstrates how CFD replaces or supplements towing tank testing.

Lesson 3 • Propeller and Self-Propulsion CFD

Models propeller performance using body-force, MRF, and sliding mesh approaches. Integrates propeller and hull interaction for self-propulsion point prediction.

Lesson 4 • Seakeeping and Ship Motions CFD

Simulates ship response in regular and irregular waves using 6-DOF motion coupling. Validates against strip theory and model test data.

Lesson 1 • Dynamic and Vibration FEA

Executes modal, harmonic, and transient analyses for propeller-induced and slamming excitations. Validates natural frequencies against vibration acceptance criteria.

Lesson 2 • Buckling and Ultimate Strength Analysis

Performs linear eigenvalue and nonlinear progressive collapse analyses for stiffened panels and hull girder. Identifies critical buckling modes under combined loading.

Lesson 3 • Global Hull Girder FEA

Builds full-ship finite element models for longitudinal strength and deflection under rule load cases. Establishes the coarse global model used as a basis for local refinement.

Lesson 4 • Local and Fine-Mesh Structural Analysis

Refines critical structural details using sub-modelling and fine-mesh techniques. Captures stress concentrations at brackets, cutouts, and weld toes.

Lesson 1 • Design of Experiments and Surrogate Models

Applies Latin hypercube sampling and response surface methods to reduce CFD-FEA evaluation cost. Enables efficient exploration of large design spaces.

Lesson 2 • Gradient-Based Shape Optimisation

Uses adjoint sensitivity methods to compute hull shape gradients for resistance minimisation. Demonstrates automated geometry deformation and constraint handling.

Lesson 3 • Multi-Objective Optimisation Workflows

Applies evolutionary algorithms to balance resistance, structural weight, and seakeeping objectives. Produces Pareto fronts for design trade-off decision support.

Lesson 4 • Hydroelastic Coupling Methods

Implements one-way and two-way fluid-structure coupling for flexible hull and propeller problems. Covers data transfer, interface mapping, and convergence of coupled iterations.