Design and structural testing of a physical model for wetdeck slamming analysis

The investigation of wetdeck slamming phenomenon is a challenging Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problem for both experimental and numerical analysis, requiring detailed design and structural assessment of the physical model. The focus of this paper is to document the design approach and the testing effort devoted to provide a reliable and well identified physical model before the towingtank tests were carried out for giving key insights into the wetdeck load and responses as well as an FSI validation dataset for numerical solvers. Thus, one of the main objectives is reducing the uncertainty linked to the modeling of the multi-hull structure by performing a series of both static and dynamic characterization tests on the as built catamaran model. The insight gained from this test campaign will be used to update the structural models coupled within the FSI solvers to increase the accuracy of the predicted hydrodynamic loading.