1. Chapter 7 : Trials

2. Ch7. Sea trials / Manoeuvring characteristics of ships
IMO Recommendations MSC 137(76)
The manoeuvrability of ships can be evaluated from the characteristics of conventional trial manoeuvres.
Two methods can be used:
Scale model tests or computer predictions using mathematical models at the design stage / full scale trials must be conducted to validate these results
Full scale trials
Test speed = at least 90% of full speed = 85% of full engine power

3. Ch7. Sea trials / Manoeuvring characteristics of ships
Imo Manoeuvring Standards
By resolution A.751(18) in 1993 IMO adopted Manoeuvring Standards
The standards apply to:
All ships of 100m in lenght and over
All chemical tankers and gas carriers
They consist of:
Turning circles to Port and starboard
Stopping Test
Zig-Zag Test

4. Ch7. Sea trials / Manoeuvring characteristics of ships
Conditions at which the standards apply
In order to evaluate the performance of a ship, manoeuvring trials should be conducted to both port and starboard and at conditions specified below:
.1 deep, unrestricted water (> 4xmean draft)
.2 calm environment (Wind< 5Bft / Sea< 4)
.3 full load (summer load line draught), even keel condition
.4 steady approach at the test speed(min90% full).

5. Ch7. Sea trials / Manoeuvring characteristics of ships
Manoeuvring performance has traditionally received little attention during the design stages of a commercial ship.
Consequently some ships have been built with very poor manoeuvring qualities, resulting in marine casualties / pollution.
Designers have relied on shiphandling abilities of human operators to compensate for deficiencies in inherent manoeuvring qualities of the hull.
The implementation of manoeuvring standards will ensure that ships are designed to a uniform standard, so that an undue burden is not imposed on shiphandlers in trying to compensate for deficiencies in inherent ship manoeuvrability.
(Extract of IMO MSC/Circ1053)

6. Ch7. Sea trials / Preliminary
Forces and motions in manoeuvrability
Definition of the Pivot Point:
the point around which the ship rotates
The centre of the hydrodynamic forces acting on the ship’s hull
Position of the Pivot Point:
Depends on the shape of the hull
With no forward speed: pivot point at midship
At speed: pivot point shifts forward

7. Ch7. Sea trials /Preliminary
The Pivot Point at forward speed

8. Ch7. Sea trials / Manoeuvring characteristics of ships
1. Course keeping ability and dynamic stability
Dynamically stable ship moves along a new straight course without using rudder after a small disturbance
Dynamically unstable ship performs turning circle with rudder amidship
More difficult to handle dynamically unstable ships
Infos on course keeping and dynamic stability: obtained from « Initial turning test »

9. Ch7. Sea trials / Manoeuvring characteristics of ships
Dynamic stability: dynamically stable ships maintain
A straight course with zero rudder
Dynamically unstable ships can only
maintain a straight course by repeated
use of rudder control

11. Ch7. Sea trials / Manoeuvring characteristics of ships
Factors determining the Directional stability of vessels
Increase with the depth of the water
Increase with the lenght of the ship
Increase with Trim by the stern
Decrease with big blockage factor
Decrease for large vessel (ratio L/B)
Decrease when cross sectional area fwd larger than cross sectional area after (pivot point moves forward)

12. Ro-Ro ships are directionally unstable
They need more rudder to stop a swing than to start a swing

13. Ch7. Sea trials / Manoeuvring characteristics of ships
Change of trim
Ship by the stern has a better course keeping ability
Ship by the head:
Slow to start a swing
Difficult to stop a swing
In shallow water, a ship gets trim by the head and looses directional stability

14. 3 STANDARD MANOEUVRES

15. TURNING CIRCLE
Turning circle: measure of turning ability of vessel

17. TURNING CIRCLE
To determine the turning ability
- The measure of the ability of a ship using hard-over rudder
- The result is a minimum « advance at 90° change of heading » and « tactical diameter » defined by the « transfer at 180° change of heading »
- Tactical diameter is usually given as multiplacity of ship lenght
The advance should not exceed 4.5 ship lengths (L)
the tactical diameter should not exceed 5 lengths
Turning circle to be performed with 35°Rudder angle

18. Statendam
Lenght:196m / beam:25m / 24300DWT / Steamship/ 2 propellers/ 19Knots

19. Advance: 426m
Transfer: 99m
Diameter: 263m
Tact.Dia: 290m
Advance: 426m
Transfer: 94m
Diameter: 258m
Tact.Dia: 292m

20. Advance: the distance traveled in the direction of the original course by the midship point of a ship from the position at which the rudder order is given to the position at which the heading has changed 900 from the original course.

21. Tactical diameter : the distance traveled by the midship point of a ship from the position at which the rudder order is given to the position at which the heading has changed 1800 from
the original course.
It is measured in a direction perpendicular to the original heading of the ship.

22. TURNING CIRCLE
Comments
Advance of the ship smaller than the distance ahead with an emergency stop manœuvre
Request sufficient searoom on the beam (tactical diameter)
Test are carried out at sea and not in shallow waters: parameters are bigger in shallow water because rudder effect decreases in shallow water due to the reduced waterflow
Parameters of the turning circle do not change for different speeds of the ship

23. Drift angle and Pivot point
TURNING CIRCLE
Drift angle and Pivot point
The pivot point (D) is at the intersection of the longitudinal
axis of the vessel with the radius of the turning circle
The drift angle at the pivot point is zero
The drift angle at the centre of gravity (G)

24. TURNING CIRCLE
In shallow waters, the drift angle is smaller : the water
resistance decreases and the turning circle is larger

25. Crablike motion of the ship:
Water resistance reduces the speed
and the diameter of turning circle

26. Forces acting on a ship when turning
TURNING CIRCLE
Forces acting on a ship when turning

27. TURNING CIRCLE

28. TURNING CIRCLE
The turning circle is affected by the effects of wind and current

29. Turning characteristics of full
and slender ships

30. TURNING CIRCLE
Comparison of turning characteristics of full and slender ships:
Two ships of the same lenght have nearly the same transfer
Tactical diameters almost the same
Radius of turning circle smaller for tanker
Drift angle much larger for tanker
Pivot point closer to the bow in tanker

31. TURNING CIRCLE
Water resistance on starboard
Beam during turning circle

32. ZIG-ZAG TEST

33. ZIG-ZAG TEST (Kempf)
Yaw checking ability a measure of :
the response to counter-rudder (Overshoot angle and overshoot time)
Measure of the ability to initiate and check course changes
Two tests are included: the 10°/10° and 20°/20° tests
10°/10° zig-zag test: rudder is turned alternately by 10° to either side following a heading deviation of 10° from original heading

34. ZIG-ZAG TEST (Kempf)
10°/10° Zig-Zag Test

35. ZIG-ZAG TEST/ Procedure
after a steady approach, rudder is put over to 10° to starboard (port) (first execute)
when heading has changed to 10° off original heading, rudder reversed to 10° to port (starboard) (second execute)
after the rudder has been turned to port/starboard, the ship continues turning in original direction with decreasing turning rate.
In response to rudder, ship should then turn to port/starboard.
When ship has reached a heading of 10° to port/starboard of the original course the rudder is again reversed to 10° to starboard/port (third execute).
The first overshoot angle is the additional heading deviation experienced in the zig-zag test following second execute

36. Recommendations of IMO
The value of the first overshoot angle in the 10°/10° zig-zag test should not exceed:
. 10° if L/V is less than 10 s;
. 20° if L/V is 30 s or more; and
. (5 + 1/2(L/V)) degrees if L/V is 10 s or more, but less than 30s
where L and V are expressed in m and m/s, respectively.
The value of the second overshoot angle in the 10°/10° zig-zag test should not exceed:
. 25°, if L/V is less than 10 s;
. 40°, if L/V is 30 s or more; and
. ( (L/V))°, if L/V is 10 s or more, but less than 30 s.

37. ZIG-ZAG TEST

38. ZIG-ZAG TEST
The 20°/20° zig-zag test is performed using the same procedure using 20° rudder angles and 20° change of heading, instead of 10° rudder angles and 10° change of heading, respectively.
The value of the first overshoot angle in the 20°/20°
Zig-Zag test should not exceed 25° Recommendation of IMO MSC 137(76)

39. 20°/20° Zig-Zag Test

40. STOP

42. STOPPING TEST

43. STOPPING TEST
The "crash-stop" or "crash-astern" manoeuvre is mainly a test of engine functioning and propeller reversal. The stopping distance is a function of the ratio of astern power to ship displacement.
Procedure
1. ship brought to a steady course and speed
2. The recording of data starts.
3. The manoeuvre is started by giving a stop order. The full astern engine order is applied with rudder amidship.
4. Data recording stops and the manoeuvre is terminated when the ship is stopped dead

44. STOPPING TEST
Parameters:
track reach
head reach
lateral deviation
time to dead in water

45. STOPPING TEST
Measure of the ability to stop while maintaining control
Full astern stopping test determines the track reach of a ship from the time an order for full astern is given until the ship stops in the water.
Track reach is the distance along the path described by the midship point of a ship measured from the position at which an order for full astern is given to the position at which the ship stops in the water
Track reach must not exceed 15 ship’s lenghts excepted for very large vessels: maximum 20 Ship’s L.

47. Comparison between
different manœuvres
for stopping a ship

48. ADDITIONAL TESTS FOR UNSTABLE SHIPS
Where standard manoeuvres indicate dynamic instability, alternative tests may be conducted to define the degree of instability : « Initial turning test »
Guidelines for alternative tests such as a « spiral test » or « pull-out manœuvre » are included in the Explanatory notes to the Standards for ship manoeuvrability, referred to in paragraph 6.1 above.∗
∗ Refer to MSC/Circ.1053 on Explanatory notes to the Standards for ship manoeuvrability

49. INITIAL TURNING TEST

50. Initial Turning ability
INITIAL TURNING TEST
Initial Turning ability
Measure of change of the heading in response to a moderate helm
Expressed in :
distance covered before course change of 10° when 10° of rudder is applied (also with 20° rudder angle)
Assessed by the « Initial Turning Test »: Test to be performed for unstable ships (IMO Recommandations)

51. Initial Turning Test directional stability Ability to control yaw
Measure of nonlinear
directional stability
Ability to control yaw
motion with small rudder
angles
With 10° rudder angle to port/starboard, the ship should not have travelled more than 2.5 lengths by the time the heading has changed 10° from original heading

52. PULL-OUT TEST Additional test for ships with unsatisfactory
manoeuvring
standards
Measure of course
keeping ability and
dynamic stability of
a ship

53. PULL-OUT TEST
The ship is first made to turn with a certain rate of turn
The rudder is returned to midship position
With a stable ship: rate of turn decays to zero
Unstable ship: rate of turn reduces but residual rate of turn will remain

55. SPIRAL TEST

56. SPIRAL TEST
The Standard Manoeuvres are used to evaluate
course-keeping ability based on the overshoot
angles resulting from the 10°/10° zig-zag manoeuvre.
The zig-zag manoeuvre was chosen for reasons of
simplicity and expediency in conducting trials.
However, where more detailed analysis of dynamic
stability is required some form of spiral manœuvre
(direct or reverse) should be conducted as an
additional measure.

57. SPIRAL TEST

58. DIRECT SPIRAL TEST
The direct spiral is a turning circle manoeuvre in which various steady state yaw rate/rudder angle values are measured by making incremental rudder changes throughout a circling manoeuvre.
In the case where dynamic instability is detected with other trials or is expected, a direct spiral test can provide more detailed information about the degree of instability.
In cases where the ship is dynamically unstable it will appear that it is still turning steadily in the original direction although the rudder is now slightly deflected to the opposite side.

59. DIRECT SPIRAL TEST
steady course and speed
recording of data starts
rudder turned 15 degrees and held until yaw rate remains constant for one minute
rudder angle is then decreased in 5 degree increments. At each increment the rudder is held fixed until a steady yaw rate is obtained, measured and then decreased again
this is repeated for different rudder angles starting from large angles to both port and starboard
when a sufficient number of points is defined, data recording stops.

60. REVERSE SPIRAL MANOEUVRE
In the reverse spiral test the ship is steered to obtain a constant yaw rate, the mean rudder angle required to produce this yaw rate is measured.
the yaw rate versus rudder angle plot is created.

61. RESULT OF SPIRAL TEST FOR STABLE SHIP

62. RESULT OF SPIRAL TEST FOR UNSTABLE SHIP

63. DIEUDONNE SPIRAL MANOEUVRE
the vessel path follows a growing spiral, and then a contracting spiral in the opposite direction.
Suppose that:
the first 15° rudder deflection (Sb) causes the vessel to turn right
At zero rudder, the yaw rate is still to the right: the vessel has gotten “stuck” here, and will require a negative rudder action to pull out of the turn.
the rudder in this case has to be used excessively driving the vessel back and forth.
We say that the vessel is unstable, and clearly a poor design.

65. Comments to IMO Standards
For deep water and service/design speed only
Give no indication of the handling characteristics in wind, waves and current
Do not look at manoeuvres normally carried out by most merchant ships
Full astern stopping test results in extreme termal loads on the engine
Criteria derived from databases heavily biased towards (old) tankers and bulk carriers

66. Comments to IMO Standards
From operational aspects additional requirements should be developed:
Manoeuvrability in shallow water
Low speed manoeuvring capabilities
Maximum tolerable wind forces in harbour manoeuvres
Limited heel angles
Steering in waves
Steering with special devices