VISUALSMP TECHNICAL SUMMARY

ALION PROTEUS ENGINEERING

2010

VisualSMP is a suite of tools used in the prediction and analysis of a ship’s sea-keeping
and loads characteristics. Included in VisualSMP is the US Navy’s strip theory based
frequency domain ship motion program (SMP), US Navy’s sea-keeping analysis program
(SEP), US Navy’s standard time history program (STH and ACTH), and US Navy’s sea-
keeping program for SWATH (SWMP). The US Navy has selected Alion Proteus
Engineering to distribute these tools commercially, and Proteus has used its experience in
sea-keeping and sea loads analysis and software development to integrate and extend
them, resulting in VisualSMP. VisualSMP adds a graphical pre- and post-processor, and
a visualizer, together with tools to extend and refine the functionalities of SMP. Among
many other things and past improvements, the most recent Alion additions and
improvements are: (1) A suite of utilities to easily modify, refine and prepare the hull
geometry; (2) Fully functional Ochi-Hubble family of wave spectra; (3) Motion and
relative motion time histories outputs for short-crested waves; (4) Calculating the cargo
latching forces at the specified deck surface and point in both long-crested and short-
crested waves; (5) Quasi-nonlinear roll restoring force, i.e., using the actual GZ curve in
transverse motion and loads calculations; (6) Calculate and output of the response band
widths; (7) Calculate and output of the Zero-Crossing Response Period and the Average
Response Period; (8) Calculate response statistics, such as the Most Probable Maximum
Response in a specified length of time, based on the response’s actual band-width instead
of using narrow-band assumption; (9) Calculate the probability of exceeding a certain
response (motion or loads) level in a specified length of time based on the response’s
actual band-width; (10) Calculate the number of occurrences of exceeding a certain
response (motion or loads) level in a specified length of time based on the response’s
actual band-width; (11) Calculate the probability of exceeding and number of
occurrences of exceeding a certain response level for a mission profile, which will
include all the speeds and headings for various different combinations of wave heights
and wave periods.
MOTIONS PREDICTION AND LOADS CALCULATIONS

VisualSMP provides predictions of ship motions (i.e. displacements, velocities, and

accelerations) and loads (i.e. shear, bending and torsion) for a ship advancing at constant
speed, on arbitrary headings in both regular waves and irregular seas. The irregular seas
are modeled using either the two parameter Bretschneider, the three parameter Jonswap,
or the six parameter Ochi-Hubble wave spectral models. Both long-crested and short-
crested results are provided; short-crested waves are generated using a cosine squared
spreading function. In addition to the 6DOF responses, VisualSMP will predict the
absolute motion, velocity, and acceleration, as well as the relative motion and velocity for
various locations on the ship. VisualSMP will calculate the probabilities and frequencies
of submergence, emergence, and/or slamming occurrence, slamming pressure/force, MSI
(motion sickness incidence) and MII (motion induced interruptions) for various locations
on the ship. If the weight distribution is given, VisualSMP will calculate vertical and
transverse shear forces, longitudinal and horizontal moments, and torsion moments at
user’s specified locations. For each of the above motion and load responses, VisualSMP
can calculate various statistics (mentioned earlier) in a specified length of time based on
the response’s actual band-width. It also estimates added resistance in waves based on the
work by Wen-Chin Lin and Arthur Reed, as documented in their paper "The Second
Order Steady Force and Moment On a Ship Moving In An Oblique Seaway".

Proteus has developed the graphical pre- and post-processor using the Microsoft
Windows GUI. These tools speed the data input process and provide graphical tools to
view the computed results. VisualSMP input models consist of hull offsets, appendage
dimensions, and controller coefficients. The hull offsets are described to the system as
points on sections, including the stem and stern profile. Both transverse and longitudinal
knuckles are allowed. New Versions of VisualSMP feature powerful geometry input and
manipulation utilities. These utilities make preparing offsets almost an automatic process.
The user may import the offset table from FASTSHIP in an IDF format, or prepare the
offsets in a GHS GF style text file. The offset points may go above the waterline. After
IDF or GF file is imported into VisualSMP, the user can use ‘Modify Sections’ to clip the
sections to a particular waterline, and then use other utilities to make point distribution to
the user desired level section by section. The user may input up to 70 stations and 70
points per station, and may choose from the following list of appendage types to include
in the calculations: Sonar Dome, Bilge Keels, Passive Fins, Active Fins, Shaft Brackets,
Propellers, Propeller Shafting, Skeg, Rudders, and Roll Tanks.

In addition to the many text output files, VisualSMP presents its output in plots in the
forms of RAO plots and speed polar diagrams. The polars show the ship’s response for
any motion/load as a function of speed and heading, and can also show the effect of an
imposed limit on the ships operation. When the ship’s motion/load has exceeded a user-
defined limit on one of the motions, the contours for those speeds and headings are drawn
in red to highlight the limit of operation. These response contours can also be presented
vividly in a continuously color-coded (or color-filled) polar plot. The user can also
specify a set of operations limits on various motion/load responses and VisualSMP will
calculate the operational index based on these limits.

Polar plots are recently extended to various statistics values of every ship motion and
load responses: the Band-width, the Most Probable Maximum Response, the Zero-
Crossing Response Period, the Average Response Period, the Probability of Exceeding A
Specified Value, the Number of Occurrence of Exceeding A Specified Value.
SEA-KEEPING ANALYSIS

The Sea-keeping Evaluation Module (SEP) can be used to estimate the seaworthiness of
SWATH and monohull ships early in the design process. Estimation of the seaworthiness
of ships can be useful in several ways. In early design studies, prediction of the effect of
hull form modifications on ship motions can have an impact on the design, permitting the
selection of a seaworthy hull form, from among those which meet other design
requirements. The ability to readily analyze the relationship between hull form
modifications and seaworthiness can allow consideration of many hull forms in a short
period of time. Once a ship has been built, estimation of seaworthiness utilizing
frequency domain prediction methods can facilitate prediction of the potential ability of
the ship to carry out a new mission. This facilitates consideration of the effect of hull
form modifications on performance.

There are three major components used in the sea-keeping evaluation; the rigid body
motion transfer functions for the particular hull form, the data describing the probability
of occurrence of various sea conditions, and the sea-keeping criteria which describe the
degradation of performance due to ship motions. The transfer functions must be
generated using VisualSMP regular wave module for mono-hull ships or SWATH
module for SWATH ships.
Required input data for the SEP includes motion transfer functions which have been
generated by either the SWATH module or SMP regular wave module as well as data
files which contain results from analysis of Spectral Ocean Wave Model (SOWM) data.
This data defines the joint probability of occurrence of significant wave height, spectral
modal (peak) period, and wind speed for various geographical locations.

Although there are limitations to the analysis used in SEP, it provides the means of
easily, quickly, and consistently estimating the seaworthiness of hull forms for a range of
missions, giving consideration to a wide range of spectra and their probabilities of
occurrence at a large number of geographical points. This method of predicting
seaworthiness is useful in comparing the performance of a variety of hull forms.

TIME HISTORY GENERATION

VisualSMP ’s STH module uses transfer functions to generate time histories for the
waves and the vessel 6DOF motions in irregular seas as well as the time histories of
motion and relative motion of any points. Both the numerical time histories and the
cosine coefficients for use in visualizations and simulations are computed. VisualSMP ’s
STH module not only generate time histories for long-crested waves but also for short-
crested waves. If the user specifies the normal of a deck, the STH module will calculate
the cargo latching forces at the specified deck point in both long-crested and short-crested
waves.

SHIP MOTION VISUALIZER

The VisualSMP visualization program uses the cosine coefficients and a geometry model
from an IDF mesh file (for example from FastShip™) to simulate the ship in a seaway at a
fixed heading and speed. The simulation may be run at real-time, or at a processor-
dependent speed. The model may be rotated and viewed from any angle, and reference
points (buoys) may be defined to help visualize speed. The user’s view may be either
global (off the ship) or from the bridge.

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