Marine vessels sailing through waves may experience very high loads during slamming events. The present study addresses a novel air-cavity hull configuration that contains air trapped between rigid side hulls and a platform. Laboratory drop tests have been conducted with two-dimensional sections imitating air-cavity hulls. The platform vertical position was the main variable parameter. Time-dependent accelerations and pressure measured at the platform center are reported. Peak values of these variables and their occurrence times are identified. The captured air pockets are found to reduce maximum slamming loads. A simplified mathematical model is applied for simulating the initial phase of the air-cavity hull water entry. The obtained results can be used for seakeeping assessment of air-cavity ships as well as validation of more sophisticated mathematical models for hull slamming.
Numerical investigation of water-entry characteristics of high-speed parallel projectiles