Comparison of Experimental and Computational Ship Air Wakes for YP Class Patrol Craft

• Main Authors: Snyder, Murray R, Shishkoff, Joshua P, Roberson, Franklin D, McDonald, Martin C, Brownell, Cody J, Luznik, Luksa, Miklosovic, David S, Burks, John S, Kang, Hyung S, Wilkinson, Colin H
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: AERODYNAMICS; CFD(COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS); COMPARISON; COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS; EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN; FLIGHT TESTING; Fluid Mechanics; Marine Engineering; NAVAL VESSELS(COMBATANT); PATROL CRAFT; SHIP AIR WAKES; SHIPS; TRAINING; WAKE; WIND TUNNELS

This paper provides second year results from a multi-year research project that involves a systematic investigation of ship air wakes using an instrumented United States Naval Academy (USNA) YP (Patrol Craft, Training). The objective is to validate and improve Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools that will be useful in determining ship air wake impact on naval rotary wing vehicles. This project is funded by the Office of Naval Research and includes extensive coordination with Naval Air Systems Command. Currently, ship launch and recovery wind limits and envelopes for helicopters are primarily determined through at-sea in situ flight testing that is expensive and frequently difficult to schedule and complete. The time consuming and potentially risky flight testing is required, in part, because computational tools are not mature enough to adequately predict air flow and wake data in the lee of a ship with a complex superstructure. The top-side configuration of USNA YPs is similar to that of a destroyer or cruiser, and their size (length of 108 ft and above waterline height of 24 ft) allows for collection of air wake data that is in the same order of magnitude as that of modern naval warships, an important consideration in aerodynamic modeling. A dedicated YP has been modified to add a flight deck and hangar structure to produce an air wake similar to that on a modern destroyer. Three axis acoustic anemometers, fog generators and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) have been installed. Repeated testing on the modified YP is being conducted in the Chesapeake Bay, which allows for the collection of data over a wide range of wind conditions. Additionally, a scale model of the modified YP has been constructed for testing in the 42 USNA wind tunnel. Significant wind tunnel measurements are scheduled for fall 2010. Comparison of YP in situ test data with Presented at the ASNE Launch and Recovery Symposium, held in Arlington, VA, on 8-9 Dec 2010. Prepared in cooperation with Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, and with Zenetex LLC, Patuxent River, MD. The original document contains color images.