Research on the Hydrodynamic Performance of a Pentamaran in Calm Water and Regular Waves

As a typical multi-hull ship, the pentamaran has a wider deck, higher damage stability, and low-speed seaworthiness in harsh sea conditions compared with other multi-hull types such as the catamaran and trimaran, having more potential for becoming a new type of freight merchant ship in line with the development trend of the marine economy. In this paper, on the basis of the finite volume method, the numerical simulations and detailed comparative analysis of the monohull and pentamaran in viscous flow were carried out. The resistance prediction in calm water and regular waves and the changes of each resistance component of the pentamaran were explored. The dynamic fluid body interaction (DFBI) module was used for the calculations in calm water, and the overset mesh was used for the calculations in regular waves. The results show that in calm water, the adverse effect of the side hulls on the resistance was mainly reflected in the low-speed range. In the high-speed range, the influence of the side hulls on the resistance can be ignored. At high speeds, the main hull and side hulls of the pentamaran will produce favorable wave-making interference, thereby improving the wave-making performance of the pentamaran. In regular waves, although the added resistance of the pentamaran increased most of the time, its amplitude was smaller than that of the monohull under the same wave condition. This work provides a technical basis for the research on the design and hydrodynamic performance of the pentamaran.