Output-only analysis for modal parameters estimation of an elastically scaled ship

The study of the ship structural response assumes an increasing importance as soon as the structures, characterized by much more lightness, are designed and built for faster vessels. This requisite implies a greater flexibility of the structures themselves, the elastic response of which has to be evaluated with accuracy in order to predict the dynamic behavior. In the present paper, a methodology for the identification of the modal parameters from the measurement of only the responses of a vibrating structure has been developed and applied to an elastically scaled model. This output-only technique is successfully applied to the segmented model of a real ship towed in the INSEAN linear basin. The broadband random excitation, provided by the loads exerted by an irregular sea pattern, induces a stochastic response of the model, which is monitored with accelerometers. The obtained results not only outline the parametric dependence of the modal properties on the ship speed, but also suggest a possible practical application of this technique for on-board structural monitoring and fatigue-life prediction.