Naval Hull Form Multicriterion Hydrodynamic Optimization for the Conceptual Design Phase

Abstract

For a given set of ship design and operational criteria, there exists a trade-off between the ship's calm water powering performance and its seakeeping performance. Ship hulls that are designed for optimal powering performance can have poor seakeeping performance, and vice versa. It is typically not possible to obtain the global optimum for both of these objectives because of the competition between the powering and seakeeping performance functions and the design constraints. The set of globally nondominated solutions, or Pareto front, considering these competing criteria is searched for by navigating the multimodal search space using a multicriterion, population-based evolutionary algorithm optimization process. The optimization process uses a nontraditional objective function formulation that eliminates the need to tune the penalty function parameters for each new problem formulation and appears to provide a more thorough representation of the numerically approximated Pareto front. Results show that properly integrating this optimization process with the design criteria yields a set of hydrodynamically superior design solutions. The problem formulation and development is applicable to naval surface vessels and applied to a monohull frigate type example.

Optimal shape design of a floating body for minimal water wave forces

“…Recently, Grigoropoulos and Chalkias [ 22 ] presented a multiobjective evolutionary optimization methodology for the hull form in calm and rough water using the Rankin source panel method. Zalek et al [ 23 ] also treated a trade-off problem between calm-water resistance and seakeeping using the numerically approximated Pareto front. Campana et al [ 24 ] discussed the design sensitivity analysis methods in the ship hydrodynamic design.…”