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Estimating the longitudinal centre of flotation of a vessel in waves using acceleration measurements

Estimating the longitudinal centre of flotation of a vessel in waves using acceleration measurements
Estimating the longitudinal centre of flotation of a vessel in waves using acceleration measurements
The location of a vessel's centre of flotation during operation at sea plays an important role in the vessel's longitudinal stability. The ability to accurately estimate the location of the centre of flotation improves safety monitoring as it indicates how changes in the distribution of weight affect the vessel. In this study, we propose a novel method for estimating the longitudinal location of a vessel's centre of flotation in waves using acceleration readings taken simultaneously at different locations along the length of the vessel. Specifically, we recorded accelerations of an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) in a towing tank. The ASV was operated in head and following regular waves, which were kept at a constant wave height of 0.12 m while the wave frequency was increased from 0.5 Hz to 0.8 Hz at increments of 0.1 Hz. The results show that multiple acceleration measurements can be used to correctly determine the centre of flotation of a vessel in waves. In this experiment, the estimated location of the centre of flotation varied as expected based on the longitudinal asymmetry of the ASV and the difference between head and following waves, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method. In addition, the results were validated using the vessel's recorded pitch motion.
Qualisys, accelerometers, centre of rotation, centre of flotation, vessel safety, vessel stability
1530-437X
8426-8435
Abankwa, Nana O.
4cd01ef7-2151-4f68-a04c-9f934d5b3a4e
Bowker, James
7e0d368b-4c3b-4daf-a831-57158eacd738
Johnston, Steven J.
6b903ec2-7bae-4a56-9c21-eea0a70bfa2b
Scott, Mark
64313def-cd6c-4f28-8efc-00f927ea8607
Cox, Simon J.
0e62aaed-24ad-4a74-b996-f606e40e5c55
Abankwa, Nana O.
4cd01ef7-2151-4f68-a04c-9f934d5b3a4e
Bowker, James
7e0d368b-4c3b-4daf-a831-57158eacd738
Johnston, Steven J.
6b903ec2-7bae-4a56-9c21-eea0a70bfa2b
Scott, Mark
64313def-cd6c-4f28-8efc-00f927ea8607
Cox, Simon J.
0e62aaed-24ad-4a74-b996-f606e40e5c55

Abankwa, Nana O., Bowker, James, Johnston, Steven J., Scott, Mark and Cox, Simon J. (2018) Estimating the longitudinal centre of flotation of a vessel in waves using acceleration measurements. IEEE Sensors Journal, 18 (20), 8426-8435. (doi:10.1109/JSEN.2018.2865463).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The location of a vessel's centre of flotation during operation at sea plays an important role in the vessel's longitudinal stability. The ability to accurately estimate the location of the centre of flotation improves safety monitoring as it indicates how changes in the distribution of weight affect the vessel. In this study, we propose a novel method for estimating the longitudinal location of a vessel's centre of flotation in waves using acceleration readings taken simultaneously at different locations along the length of the vessel. Specifically, we recorded accelerations of an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) in a towing tank. The ASV was operated in head and following regular waves, which were kept at a constant wave height of 0.12 m while the wave frequency was increased from 0.5 Hz to 0.8 Hz at increments of 0.1 Hz. The results show that multiple acceleration measurements can be used to correctly determine the centre of flotation of a vessel in waves. In this experiment, the estimated location of the centre of flotation varied as expected based on the longitudinal asymmetry of the ASV and the difference between head and following waves, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method. In addition, the results were validated using the vessel's recorded pitch motion.

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Submitted date: 31 May 2018
Accepted/In Press date: 10 August 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 14 August 2018
Published date: 15 October 2018
Keywords: Qualisys, accelerometers, centre of rotation, centre of flotation, vessel safety, vessel stability

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 423111
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/423111
ISSN: 1530-437X
PURE UUID: 2342f75a-de37-4ea2-9db2-ab40c17661ab
ORCID for Steven J. Johnston: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3864-7072
ORCID for Mark Scott: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0476-9779

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Date deposited: 14 Aug 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:59

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Contributors

Author: Nana O. Abankwa
Author: James Bowker
Author: Mark Scott ORCID iD
Author: Simon J. Cox

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