Seakeeping Tests With Gaussian Wave Packets

An important property used in the design stage of floating systems is the RAO (Response Amplitude Operator), the transfer function, for motions, forces and so on. This importance has motivated the development of several analytical, numerical and experimental tools to obtain the hydrodynamic behavior of platforms and ships. Experimental model tests in wave tanks are advisable for the accurate evaluation of the body movements. Three known techniques are used to obtain the RAO curves: tests with regular, irregular and transient waves. In the present work, special attention is given to the technique used to perform model testing with one type of transient wave: the Gaussian Wave Packet. The advantages of using such technique are discussed and results are also presented for a semi-submersible model during tests carried out at Laborato´rio de Tecnologia Oceaˆnica - LabOceano/COPPE/UFRJ, Brazil. Numerical calculations and tests with regular and irregular waves are used for validation and comparison.