Numerical Simulations of Ship Bow and Shoulder Wave Breaking in Different Advancing Speeds

The KCS model is employed for the numerical simulations to investigate the wave breaking phenomena of the bow and shoulder wave. RANS approach coupled with high resolution VOF technique is used to resolve the free surface. In order to study the speed effects on the phenomena of ship wave breaking, four different speeds, i.e. Fr = 0.26, 0.30, 0.32, 0.35, are investigated in calm water. Predicted resistance and wave patterns under Fr = 0.26 are validated with the available experiment data, and good agreement is achieved. For the Fr = 0.26 case, the wave pattern is steady, and the alternate variation of vorticity appear near the free surface is associated with the wake field. The breaking wave phenomena can be observed when the Froude number is over 0.32 and the Fr = 0.35 case shows most violent breaking bow wave. For the Fr = 0.35 case, the process of overturning and breaking of bow wave is observed clearly, and at the tail of bow wave, some breaking features of free surface are also captured. The reconnection of the initial plunger with the free surface results in a pair of counter-rotating vortex that is responsible for the second plunger and scar.