National Naval Program for Naval Engineering

Subprogram: Modeling and Optimization for Naval Engineering

General Statement of Research Need:

In an effort to maintain and strengthen the United States' expertise in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering disciplines the Office of Naval Research has established a National Naval Responsibility (NNR) for Naval Engineering (this includes both naval architecture and marine engineering). This NNR will help to ensure the presence of a strong Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering discipline in the United States for future generations of innovative ship design.

The long-term goal of the NNR for Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Program initiative is the development of technology and the cultivation of resources that will enhance the ability to develop creative and innovative ship designs. The sub-program entitled Modeling and Optimization for Naval Engineering is focused on modeling and optimization technology that can benefit Naval Design. Currently this sub-program is interested in addressing the following three areas:

1. Computational Tools for Naval Design

   • Research is solicited that will advance computational tools for the naval design and acquisition community. Emphasis is on the development of techniques, algorithms, or computational kernels that can be transitioned to a design tool development effort. University/industry or university/Navy teams in which industry or the Navy provides a perspective to focus the emerging technology are encouraged. Specific areas of interest are:

     • Modeling of:
       • internal and external entrained fluid under shock
       • implosion
       • flow resistance, maneuvering, and seakeeping of novel hull forms
       • roll damping
       • hydrodynamic-flow/structure interaction
       •  
     • Integrated analysis & optimization methods for structural mechanics, acoustics, or hydrodynamics
     •  
     • Error quantification and aggregation in metamodels:
       • How can the accuracy of representation of each model, for which a metamodel is being utilized, be assessed?
       • Is it possible to assess the aggregate error involved in multidisciplinary modeling of a system of systems?
       • Are there guidelines that could be developed for error budgeting for the overall analysis?
       •  
     • Significant speed-ups in modeling of:
       • generation of seaway loads and the resulting ship motion and stresses
       • acoustic and non-acoustic signatures
       •  

   • In addition, transition teams are sought to facilitate transitions in automated domain decomposition for large models, decision support tools for defining the appropriate level of geometric & mesh fidelity for a desired accuracy.

2. Hull Optimization for Multi-Hull Vessels

   • A method to optimize the design of high-speed, multi-hull ships is needed. This method will encompass powering, stability, seakeeping, structures, and payload capacity. Currently, the vast majority of U.S. naval ships are relatively large mono-hulls with limited speed requirements. The desire for high-speed transit capabilities has resulted in increased interest in the application of multi-hull platforms for naval missions. Multi-hull ships have potential advantages over mono-hull ships in terms of larger deck area per ton of displacement, larger transverse stability, higher reserve buoyancy in case of hull penetration, and better seakeeping. However, the design procedures for multi-hull ships are different from that for mono-hulled ships. The multi-hull configuration typically requires a 3-D design approach, compared to many of the standard 2-D approximations performed for mono-hulls. Additionally, with the Navy's current interest in higher speeds and, in many cases, smaller ships, optimization of multi-hulls requires concurrent consideration of powering performance, payload capacity, stability, and seakeeping. An optimization process and algorithms need to be developed that can be utilized by early stage ship design synthesis models. This capability should include:

     • Early stage structural design methods that utilize longitudinal, transverse and slamming loads across a range of speed parameters with a consideration for lifetime fatigue performance.
     • Algorithms to address the impacts of wave-making interference relative to longitudinal and transverse spacing between hulls.
     • Optimization of 3-D hull form shape and size characteristics and relative location for multi-hull configurations based on powering performance, payload capacity, stability and seakeeping.
     • Refined and validated multi-hull seakeeping assessment tools.
     •  

3. Automated Functional Arrangements for Submarines and Surface Ships

   • Early stage arrangements of submarines and surface ships are a critical component to the successful design of new and innovative concepts. Early stage designs have tended to initially concentrate on the geometric arrangement of a number of important weapons and propulsion systems since these have a critical impact on the arrangement of the remaining compartments. After these major systems/compartments are located, surface ship arrangements have tended to concentrate the assumption that the provision of sufficient area or volume will support later detailed arrangement of equipment and compartments within the available space. However, this assumption results in a loss of fidelity between designs developed to meet uniquely different missions. In submarines, further arrangement definition is a necessity to ensure the feasibility of the design to establish and maintain a neutrally buoyant condition. Existing design synthesis programs can assist in defining the required design arrangement and characteristics. However, for both submarines and surface ships, adequate arrangement detail dictates manual development of the arrangement design. When radically new concepts are required, problems arise with respect to the time and expertise it takes to manually develop effective, consistent arrangement designs.

     A tool set is required to assist the designer by automating, to the maximum extent practical, early stage functional arrangements. It is envisioned that this tool set would take the designers' initial layout of critical spaces (major weapons, machinery and other major space requirements) and then follow a set of rules that ensure required functional adjacencies, as well as, personnel and cargo flow and access in the layout of the remaining space requirements. Once a full functional arrangement is available, improved algorithms can be developed to predict service loads and distributive and other auxiliary system characteristics within compartments based on the functional role assigned to the compartment. This tool set may function independently or be integrated with design synthesis tools.

Available Funding:

Up to $3,000,000 of basic and applied research funding is expected to be available to conduct research and demonstrations over the FY04-FY06 period.

Significant Dates and Times:

Full Proposals Due Date -- August 29, 2003 4:00 pm EDT
Oral Presentation of Proposals -- September 12, 2003 If requested
Notification of Selection for Award -- September 26, 2003
Contract Awards -- November 28, 2003

Related Items:

• ONR 334 NNR Page

Point of Contact:

Innovation Cell Manager
Phone: 703-696-0786
E-mail: 334moneic@onr.navy.mil