Ship Manoeuvring and Control

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Manoeuvring theory based on fundamental principles and concepts providing an appreciation of the limitations of the theory as applied to hull and control surface design. (Contributing to EAB accreditation LOs: SM1, SM2, SM7, EA1, EA6M)
• The concept of stability concepts and effect of feedback control on sensitivity. (Contributing to EAB accreditation LOs: EA3, EA4)
• Model or full scale trials to assess the manoeuvrability and controllability of marine vehicles operating in calm and/or restricted waters.(Contributing to EAB accreditation LOs: EA1, P2)
• The principles of control theory through familiarising the students with various input/output descriptions of dynamic systems and frequency domain descriptions and dynamic analysis. (Contributing to EAB accreditation LOs: SM1, SM2, SM7, EA1, EA4)
• The safe operation of a vessel through the development of stability criteria and their application. (Contributing to EAB accreditation LOs: SM1, SM7, EA1, EA6M)
• The measurement of hydrodynamic data required in an assessment of directional stability. (Contributing to EAB accreditation LOs: EA3)

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Apply basic methods of classical control system design such as root locus and phase lead-lag. (Contributing to EAB accreditation LOs: EA3)

Description

Part A; 18 lectures on:

Ship Manoeuvring

• Body axes, translations and angular velocities
• Transformation of axes.
• General equations of motion in calm water.
• Linearised equations of symmetric motion.
• Linearised equations of antisymmetric motion.
• Fluid actions and slow motion derivatives.
• Measurements of slow motion derivatives (tow and rotating arm tests).
• Measurements of oscillatory coefficients (planar motion mechanism).
• Control surfaces and derivatives.
• Directional stability criteria (Routh-Hurwitz test functions).
• Details of types of stability.
• Manoeuvring trials (stability: pull out and spiral (Dieudonne)).
• Manoeuvring trials (control: circle and zig-zag (Kempf)).
• Effects of variables on design (speed, trim, draught, etc).
• Rudder actions and characteristics.
• Nomoto's equations, T-K parameters.

Part B; 18 lectures on:

Ship Control:

• Introduction to control including concepts of block diagrams, open and closed loop systems.
• Modelling of dynamic systems in time and S-domains including concepts of transfer functions and state space modelling techniques.
• Characteristics of dynamic systems including system response of 1st and 2nd order systems, performance metrics, system stability and concepts of poles and zeros.
• Control and analysis of dynamic systems including PID controllers, root locus plots and applications to marine vehicles.

Controllability of a marine vehicle. This assignment integrates Parts A and B, through the use of hydrodynamic derivatives developed in Part A for the control system design of a marine vehicle.

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include

• Lectures
• Tutorials focussed on example sheets

Learning activities include

• Directed reading/independent learning
• Example sheets for problem solving exercises
• Project assignment using a prototype marine vehicle
• Report-writing for the assignment
• Use of software / programming through the assignment.

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Resources and reading list. Available on blackboard

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External