In this paper, we describe extensions to the research of Doctors et al. (Doctors, L. J., Day, A. H., and Clelland, D., 2008, Unsteady effects during resistance tests on a ship model in a towing tank, Journal of Ship Research, 52, 4, 263–273) and Day et al. (Day, A. H., Clelland, D., and Doctors, L. J., 2009, Unsteady finite-depth effects during resistance tests in a towing tank, Journal of Marine Science and Technology, 14, 3, 387–397) in which the oscillations in the wave resistance during the constant-velocity phase of a towing-tank resistance test on a ship model were measured and predicted, in the cases of relatively deep and relatively shallow water. In the current study, the ship model was towed with a harmonic velocity component superimposed on the usual constant forward velocity. This work constitutes a first step in the understanding of the unsteady hydrodynamics of a racing shell (rowing boat). We show here that the unsteady wave resistance varies considerably from the traditional (steady) average value. Indeed, the wave resistance is frequently negative during part of the oscillatory cycle. However, the general effect is an increase in the temporal mean value of the wave resistance; this suggests that every effort should be made to reduce the unsteadiness of the motion. We also demonstrate that the unsteady wave-resistance theory provides an excellent prediction of the measured effects summarized here. These predictions are often within a few percent of the measured values of the resistance.
Unsteady Effects During Resistance Tests on a Ship Model in a Towing Tank