Icebreaker Launching Analysis Using Full Scale Measurements and CFD Simulations

The analysis of the launching of an icebreaker is presented considering characteristics of this type of hull, including a greater displacement compared to ships of a similar size. In fact, it is the hull with largest lightship weight launched so far by ASMAR Shipyards. In relation to the balance of buoyancy and weight forces, and the moments produced during the launching stages until free floating of the ship, the incorporation of volumes additional to the hull were required to provide sufficient buoyancy at the stern during the entrance of the hull into the water. Measurements of the advance of the hull and its speed during launching were made, through graphic recording of videos and measurements with instruments, to obtain input data in the configuration of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations, in order to evaluate through numerical modeling, the parameters that influence the dynamic behavior of the hull interacting with the free surface during launching. In addition, this study will be useful to evaluate CFD in the prediction of the hydrodynamic behavior in the launching of a ship.