Fluid-Structure Interaction Effects on Free Vibration of Containerships

The interaction between fluid and structure affects the vibration response of the structure due to the additional hydrodynamic pressure. These effects are accounted for by incorporating the so-called added mass into the vibration equation of the structure. In this paper, a containership was used to study the impact of the added mass on its free vibration response. The natural frequencies of the ship decrease after including the added mass in the vibration analysis. It is shown that the frequency-ascending sequence of the wet mode shapes, for which the added mass is accounted for, may differ from that obtained for the dry state of the ship. Also, the effects of different draft levels on the mode shapes of the ship are reported. These results provide a better insight for designing ships based on their wet-state frequencies and mode shapes, which is the typical operation condition when sailing in the open seas.