Specialized equipment and versatile infrastructure also allow for in-depth research studies of various phenomena within ship hydrodynamics such as slamming, added resistance in waves, propeller ventilation and ship-ship interaction to name a few.
The lessons learned from our model test campaigns are utilized to support our development and validation of software and engineering tools – and vice versa. This is in line with our core belief that combining model and full-scale experimental research with theoretical research is the best formula to support the development marine and maritime industries. Our commercial services within ship model testing can therefore include result analysis and guidance for hull form and propulsion optimization based on our extensive database, as well as ship-specific digital twin models tuned to test results for use in software for routing, seakeeping and operability studies needed through a vessel's lifetime.
Our towing tank (260m x 10m x 6m), built in 1939 and extended in 1980, with two carriages for different test purposes continues to be valuable for classical ship model testing, but through the years the equipment and measurement systems have evolved its capabilities for also high-speed vessels with ride control systems, different forms of prescribed motion testing for hulls and propulsors, hybrid testing of wind assisted vessels and so on. Wave generation and wind generation systems, as well as systems for hybrid test techniques offer the possibility to apply a range of environmental loads to our test subjects.
Furthermore, the Ocean Basin (80m x 50m x 0-10m) serves as our facility for conducting tests for seakeeping, manoeuvering, dynamic stability and Dynamic positioning of ships while also offering capabilities for studying harbour manoeuvering in shallow or restricted waters, autonomous vessel control system behaviour and ship-ship/ship-structure interaction. The systems for wave, wind and current generation in this laboratory makes it possible to study different operational scenarios including rarely occurring events.
Our recently upgraded cavitation tunnel is another versatile laboratory, and also here classical propeller cavitation tests are alternated with studies on novel hull coatings for friction reduction, air lubrication, deflections and forces on propellers and foils in flexible materials etc. The upgraded test section has increased emphasis on optical measurement techniques and observations.
