SHALLOW WATER RESISTANCE CHARTS

FOR PRELIMINARY VESSEL DESIGN

Milan Hofman and Vladan Kozarski

Department of Naval Architecture, Faculty of Mechanical

Engineering, University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia

When designing a vessel intended to sail in shallow waters it is of great practical

importance to judge, in most early stages, whether the influence of water depth on
wave-making resistance is negligible (sub-critical region), unfavorable (critical
region) or favorable (super-critical region). To enable that, the present investigation
proposes a new type of resistance charts suitable for the preliminary assessment of
the shallow water influence. The charts are obtained by systematic numerical
calculation of, so-called, Srettensky integral for number of different ship forms and
different dimension ratios. Comparation of the results with some published
experimental data shows a good agreement of the main particularities of the
proposed charts. Exception is the lower boundary of the critical region, which has
to be subjected to some further analysis.

1. Introduction

The problems connected to shallow water ship resistance are often considered to be
of secondary importance in ship design. Although known for over a century (since
Scott Russell, 1845), and examined in number of papers and textbooks (e.g.
Schlichting and Strohbuch 1934, Srettensky 1937, Tuck 1966, Basin and el. 1976,
Millward 1982-1991, to mention just a few), these problems have never been in the
main scope of ship hydrodynamic investigations. That, of course, can be justified for
seagoing ships. For the inland vessels, however, the shallow water hydrodynamic is
far from being unimportant. This especially implies to relatively fast vessels, as their
resistance can crucially and unfavorably change compared to its deep-water value.
A typical shallow and deep-water wave-making resistance curves (Rh and R∞) are
presented in Fig. 1. The curves are given as functions of Froude number
FL = v / gL , where v is speed, L is length of vessel, and g is gravitational
acceleration. The shallow water resistance curve shows a typical and pronounced
peak connected to the increase and disappearance of the ship’s transverse wave
system. A typical ratio of shallow to deep-water wave-making resistance r = (Rh /
R∞) is presented in Fig. 2. The diagram implies (concerning the qualitative influence
of water depth on vessel resistance) the following speed regions: sub-critical, where
the effects of the water depth are practically negligible, critical, where the effects of
water depth are pronounced and negative, and super-critical region where the
effects are small, but favorable. The Froude number corresponding to the maximum
value of resistance ratio is called the critical ( FL(cr ) ) *, while the boundaries of the
critical region are FL(low) and FL(up ) . The increase of resistance ratio r in the critical
region is mostly governed by the ratio L/h (where h is water depth), and can become
extremely large as the water depth decreases.

Rh R ¥ Rh
R∞ r= R
∞

Rh
1

sub-critical critical super-critical

region region region

0
FL 0
FL
(low) FL(cr) FL(up) FL
Fig.1. Typical wave-making resistance in Fig.2. Typical shallow water resistance
shallow and deep water, Rh and R∞ . ratio r=Rh/R∞ indicating the
characteristic speed regions.

The wave-making resistance in shallow water can be obtained by number of

approximate semi-empirical methods (summarized e.g. in Basin and el. 1976), it can
be obtained experimentally, or it can be found theoretically, usually by the means of
so-called Srettensky integral (Srettensky 1937, 1977). Although Srettensky integral
gives only a thin ship approximation (such as Michell integral for deep water), it can
be shown (Millward 1982-1991) that the theoretically obtained value of r has a
reasonably good accuracy for many of the practical applications. That is,
presumably, due to crucial influence of water depth (parameter L/h) on the resistance
ratio, not the detailed characteristics of the ship form.

*
It should be noted that some authors define critical speed differently (e.g. Millward), or introduce
different speed regions (Basin and el. 1976). The definition used here seems simple and natural, so should
make no confusion.

2
The unfavorable effect of water depth in the critical region cannot be avoided by the
changes of vessel form, or by some other design measures. In the contrary, even the
common measures for reducing the resistance in deep water (as shown in Hofman
and Radojcic 1997, Hofman 1998) become in shallow water less effective. It follows
that the only way to avoid the negative influence of water depth is to avoid the
critical region itself. The vessel should be designed for sub-critical region (slow
vessel) or super-critical region (fast vessel). And obviously, that choice has to be
made in the very early stages, when planning and preliminary analyzing the possible
vessel performance and dimensions.
So, it is most important for the engineer to have a simple and confident tool to assess
the influence of shallow water on ship resistance, i.e. to predict the speed regions as
defined in Fig. 2. There are some diagrams obtained by Lahovicky 1965, 1968
(given also in Basin and el. 1976) that are proposed for that purpose, but since then
the problem was never investigated more thoroughly. It is interesting that there was
no attempt to exploit the powerful tools for numerical calculation we have nowadays
for such an important practical purpose.
The aim of the present paper is therefore to create, by number of systematic
numerical experiments of Srettensky integral for different ship forms and different
ship dimensions, a simple diagrams (shallow water resistance charts) that could
predict the influence of water depth on vessel resistance. Such a charts should be
universal, another words applicable to all the vessel forms. They should involve as
few particularities as possible (in the present investigation just speed, length and
water depth), so to enable the assessment of the speed region in very preliminary
stages of vessel design. In that way, the charts would be a powerful tool for helping
designer to adjust the vessel properly to its shallow waterways.

2. Basic Theory

A linear approximation of wave-making resistance of thin vessel advancing with

speed v in inviscid water of depth h is given by the integral

[I ]
∞

∫
2
2 ρg h (γ )+ J h2 (γ ) γ
Rh = dγ .
πh 2 2 γ
γ0 cosh γ γ − tanhγ
Fh2

This is Srettensky integral (Srettensky, 1937). Its lower border γo is defined by

γ 0 = 0, for Fh > 1 ,
tanhγ 0
= Fh2 , for Fh < 1 ,
γ0

3
where Fh = v / gh is Froude number based on water depth, and Ih(γ), Jh(γ) are
given by the integrals

∂ y  x γ 
∫∫
  z 
I h (γ )= cos tanhγ  ⋅ cosh γ 1+  dx dz ,
∂ x  h Fh2 
   h 
S

∂ y  x γ 
J h (γ )=
∫∫
S
sin
∂ x  h Fh2
tanhγ ⋅cosh γ 1+ z  dx dz .



  h 


In these expressions ρ is water density, x and z are longitudinal and vertical

coordinate, respectively, y(x,z) is a function defining the vessel hull and S is its
lateral surface. In the deep-water case (h→∞) the above expressions reduce to the
well known Michell integral

∞
[I ]
∫
2
4ρ g 2 (γ )+ J ∞2 (γ ) γ 2
R∞ = 2
∞
dγ ,
πv 1 γ 2 −1

with

∫∫ ∂
∂y  gx   gz 
I ∞ (γ ) = cos 2 γ exp 2 γ 2 dx dz ,
x v  v 
S

∫∫ ∂ x sin v γ exp v γ
∂y  gx   gz 2 
J ∞ (γ )= 2 2
dx dz .

S

The derivation of Srettensky integral or its detailed analysis will not be presented
here. It is given e.g. in Basin and el. 1976. For the present analysis we just
concentrate on the results for the resistance ratio r = Rh /R∞ obtained by the
systematic numerical calculation of the above expressions. All the results presented
here are calculated by the self-made computer program Sretenski.
The analysis that follows is restricted to the mathematical ship forms (Wigley forms)
defined by

 4x 2 
y ( x, z ) = ± 12 B⋅s ( z ) ⋅1− 2  ,

 L 

4
where B is vessel breadth, T is its draft and s(z) is a function defining the shape of
the cross-sections. For rectangular (wall-sided) cross-sections s(z)=1, for triangular
cross-sections s(z)=1+z/T, for parabolic cross-sections s(z)=1-(z/T)2, etc. Such
symmetric ship forms, with parabolic sharp-edged waterlines, greatly simplify the
numerical treatment of the problem. Still (as shown by Millward 1982, 1984, 1991)
they give a reasonable accurate shallow water resistance ratio r for the slender,
arbitrary-shaped vessels of the same dimensions, justifying in that way the use of
such a simplified approach for many of the practical applications.
It should be stressed that, generally, the resistance predicted by shallow water theory
(especially the resistance ratio r) has much more general validity then the
corresponding deep-water calculations. This is, as mentioned, due to the physical
fact that the increase of wave making in critical region is dominated by L/h, and not
by the details of the hull form. Such an insensitivity of r to the changes in the hull
form will be analyzed and exploit further in this paper. It will enable us to construct
a new type of shallow water resistance charts, applicable in the practical vessel
design.

3. Construction of Shallow Water Resistance Charts

The calculation of shallow water resistance ratio r=Rh/R∞ by computer procedure

Sretenski enables us to construct 3D diagrams r=f(FL , h/L) as the one presented in
Fig. 3. Such diagrams depend only on two parameters, function s(z) (defining the

Fig.3. Typical 3D diagram of shallow water resistance ratio obtained by

computer procedure Sretenski. The given example is for Wigley hull form
with parabolic cross-sections and T/L=0.05.

5
cross-section) and the ratio T/L. The horizontal projection of such a 3D diagram -
the shallow water resistance chart is presented in Fig. 4. The similar chart, but for
Froude numbers Fh based on water depth, is presented in Fig. 5. The given examples
are for the hull with parabolic cross-sections and T/L=0.05. The charts for different
s(z) and different T/L appear to be very similar. However, we still have to prove that
they are (roughly) independent of the ship form. We have, actually, to show two
points: that the charts obtained theoretically for different ship forms do match, and
that the theoretical solution is suitable for the practical applications.
Let us examine, first, the curves that border the critical region. From number of
solved examples, for different cross-sections and different ratios T/L, we construct
the boundaries of critical region FL(low) , FL(up ) = f (h / L) , together with the curves
FL( cr ) = f (h / L) that corresponds to maximum value of resistance ratio (Fig. 6). The
obtained lines, in spite of their great number, show a close concentration in their
own three groups, demonstrating clearly the insensitivity of the parameters
FL(low) ,FL( cr ) ,FL(up ) to the changes of ship form. If we repeat the analysis for the
maximum of the resistance ratio, i.e. calculate rmax=f(h/L) for different s(z) and
different T/L, we obtain (as before) a concentrated group of curves presented in Fig.
7. The diagram, again, shows the insensitivity of the results to the differences in the
ship form, although some larger discrepancies at extremely shallow waters should be
noted.
It follows that any of the 3D diagrams such as the one presented in Fig. 3 could be
generalized to the other hull forms. Another words, the shallow water resistance
charts presented in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 could be applied (roughly) to all the vessels as
an approximate theoretical solution.
All the data needed for the application of such charts are speed v, length L and depth
h. Therefore they could be used in the most early stages of planning and designing
the inland vessels, and that should be their main purpose. However, they could be
applied in number of other shallow water transportation problems, e.g. for checking
and judging the influence of water depth on the resistance of already existing ships.
The charts show clearly if the influence of water depth on wave-making resistance is
negligible (sub-critical region), if it is unfavorable (critical region) or favorable
(super-critical region). They also give rough indication of the increase of the wave-
making resistance in the critical region. As said previously, vessel should be
designed for the sub-critical, or the super-critical region. If the critical region is for
some reason accepted, the vessel should be as far right as possible - in the pale-gray
zone of the diagrams. The utmost left part of the critical region (the black zone) has
to be avoided.
The boundaries of the critical region, critical Froude number and the maximum
value of the resistance ratio, as the main particularities of the proposed charts, can be
approximated by the polynomial formulae:

2 2 3 3
h L h L h L
FL , r = a1 + a 2   + a3   + a 4   + a5   + a 6   + a 7   , (1)
L
  h
  L
  h
  L
  h

6
FL
0.70

super-critical region
0.60 1.5
2.0
4.0 3.0

0.50

critical region
0.40

1.0
0.30
5.0

0.20
sub-critical region

0.10

0.00
0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50

h/L
Fig.4. Shallow water resistance chart - resistance ratio r as function of h/L and FL

7
Fh
1.40

super-critical region
3.0
1.20 2.0
1.5
1.0
1.00

0.80
critical region
5.0

4.0
0.60

0.40 sub-critical region

0.20

0.00
0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50

h/L
Fig.5. Shallow water resistance chart - resistance ratio r as function of h/L and Fh

8
 F(up)
FL L

0.6
rmax
8
FL(cr)

0.4 6

F(low) 4
L
0.2

0.0 0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

h/L
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
h/L
Fig. 6. Particularities of the critical region Fig. 7. Maximal shallow water
(low ) (cr ) (up )
FL , FL , FL , calculated by resistance ratio rmax calculated
by procedure Sretenski for
procedure Sretenski for number of
number of different forms and
different forms and different ratios T/L.
different ratios T/L.

The application of the formulae is restricted to 0.1 < h/L < 0.5, and the appropriate
constants ai are given in Table 1. The corresponding characteristic curves for Froude
number Fh based on water depth follow simply by the transformation
Fh = FL L / h .

TABLE 1
a1 a2 a3 a4 a5 a6 a7
(low )
F L
0.21757 0.04229 0.04143 0.17549 -0.00521 0.27237 0.00017

FL(cr )
0.68693 -0.03774 -0.09583 0.04807 0.01033 0.27060 -0.00045

FL(up )
0.55786 0.36675 -0.04949 0.12859 0.00636 0.01695 -0.00024

rmax
49.396 -91.456 -11.268 63.489 1.0062 0 0

9
The reader should remember, however, that the above charts are obtained
theoretically, by solving Srettensky integral for some mathematical ship forms.
Therefore, we still have to judge how reliable is such a theoretical prediction for the
practical design applications.

4. Comparation with some classical results

Unfortunately, there are no available experimental investigations of shallow water

effects, broad enough to enable a direct comparation with the proposed resistance
charts. So, we have to check the chart’s main particularities implicitly, by adapting
suitably some published, empirically based results. We choose, as the most
adequate, the classical investigation of Sturtzel and Graff (1963). We also use some
results proposed by Lahovicky (1965,1968), and the regression analysis solution
found by Xu-tao (1990).
Sturtzel and Graff (1963) proposed, after an extensive experimental research of
resistance of slender displacement hulls, a diagram of shallow-water resistance ratio
r for number of different values L/h (Fig 8). Obviously, according to their results

Fig. 8. The shallow water

resistance ratio proposed
by Sturtzel and Graff
(1963).

10
(and contrary to our theoretical prediction), the lower border of the critical region
does not exist, but the region spreads down to the zero speed. So, the first-sight
comparation is disappointing. Still, we continue a more detailed analysis, construct
(on the basis of Sturtzel and Graff diagram) the corresponding curves F ( cr ) , F (up )
and compare them with the present results (Fig 9).

FL (up)
FL
Fh
Fh(up)
(cr)
0.6 FL 1.2

(low)
0.4 FL 0.8 (cr)
Fh
Fh= 0.7
0.2 Fh(low)
Fh = 1 0.4
present result
Sturtzel & Graff
0.0 0.0

h/L
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.4

h/L
Fig. 9. Comparation of the proposed shallow water resistance charts with the
corresponding results derived from Sturtzel and Graff (1963).

The comparation shows a good agreement between differently obtained F(cr) and
(especially) F(up) curves. Knowing that the results of the present investigation follow
from theoretical formulae for the resistance of mathematical hull forms, and Sturtzel
and Graff’s results from model experiments with the real hull forms, the actual
overlapping of the curves F(up) for higher h/L is even surprising. The principal
discrepancy between the solutions concerning the lower border of the critical region
will be analyzed later, after some other similar investigations are presented.
Although not in direct correlation with our results, we presented in Fig. 9 two
additional lines, corresponding to values of Froude number Fh=0.7 and Fh=1.
According to ITTC (18th ITTC, 1987), the influence of water depth on the wave-
making resistance should be considered only for Fh>0.7. So the line Fh=0.7 could be
understood as the ITTC recommendation for the lower border of the critical region.
On the other hand, Froude number Fh=1 corresponds to the theoretical critical speed
of transverse waves on the water of depth h. The presented results show, correctly,
that Fh( cr ) → 1 in the extremely shallow waters. However, the obtained lower border
of the critical region F (low) has (again) a very different trend from the simple ITTC
recommendation.
The comparation of the theoretically obtained rmax=f(h/L) with the results that follow
from Sturtzel and Graff (1963) is presented in Fig. 10. The agreement seems good,
especially as the “present investigation” curve is just one of the actual theoretical

11
curves presented in Fig. 7. Still, for moderate and higher values of h/L, the theory
somewhat underestimates the shallow water effects. On the other hand, in very
shallow waters (that correspond approximately to L/h>6) the theory seems to
overestimate them. The comparation suggests that the disagreement increases (and
becomes large) as the water depth decreases. That can be explained by the linear
theory used, as (at such extremely shallow waters) the non-linear effects become
significant.

rmax
12
Present investigation

Fig. 10. Comparation of

8
the calculated
maximal value of
the shallow water
resistance ratio with
4 Sturtzel & Graff the corresponding
results of Sturtzel
and Graff (1963).

0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

h/L
As mentioned earlier, Lahovicky (1965,1968) also proposed a diagram for
assessment of shallow water influence on vessel resistance. That diagram (as given
in Basin and el. 1976), together with the curve Fh=1, is presented in Fig. 11. As
could be seen, Lahovicky proposed only two curves: the critical speed and the upper
border of the critical region. These curves are, however, defined somewhat
differently then in the present investigation. The critical curve corespondents to the
maximum of the wave-making resistance coefficient Cw (not the maximum of
resistance ratio r), and the upper border curve is the local minimum of Rh curve just
above the critical region (see Fig. 1). So, in spite the fact that the diagram is
intended to give the similar information as the charts of the present investigation, the
actual values could not be compared. Still, the different trend of the curves, which
cannot be contributed just to the different definition of the critical region, should be
noted. At least, the constant values of FL(cr ) and FL(up ) for high values of h/L in
Lahovicky’s diagram seem unrealistic.

12
FL
0.60

FL(up) Fh= 1

(cr)
0.40 FL

0.20
Fig. 11. Shallow water resistance
chart proposed by
Lahovicky (1965, 1968)

0.00
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40
h/L
Qian Xu-tao (1990) examined experimental data of shallow water resistance of
Chinese river vessels and from it, by regression analysis, proposed a number of
polynomials valid up to (just above) the critical speed. His expressions (for wave-
making resistance coefficient Cw, maximum Cw, form factor etc.), have the general
form

b b b
h  L B
1 2 3
b
  ⋅   ⋅   ⋅ C B4 ⋅b5 ,
T B
      T

where CB is vessel block coefficient, and bi are derived constants. Xu-tao defines the
critical Froude number as the number that corresponds to maximum of total
resistance coefficient Ct. He also introduces (instead of the lower boundary of the
critical region of the present investigation F(low)) the economic Froude number F(ec),
indicating the beginning of the steep rise of total resistance Rt due to the bottom
influence. Xu-tao’s polynomials for F(cr) and F(ec) are graphically presented in Fig.
12, together with the characteristic lines Fh=0.7 and Fh=1.
The results in Fig. 12 show that Xu-tao’s economic and critical Froude numbers
based on water depth have (approximately) the values 0.7 and 0.92 respectively. The
fact that the complicated Xu-tao’s polynomials give (roughly) such simple constant
values should be noted. It proves, once more, the insensitivity of the critical region
on the details of the vessel form. The result Fh( ec ) ≈ 0.7 gives even an unexpected
proof of the simple ITTC recommendation.

13
FL Fh
0.60
Fh = 1 1.00
FL(cr)
0.80
Fh(cr)
0.40
FL(ec) 0.60
Fh(ec)
0.40
0.20
Fh = 0.7
0.20

0.00 0.00
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40
h/L
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40
h/L
Fig. 12. Shallow water resistance charts derived from the results of Xu-tao (1990)

Because of the different definitions of the shallow-water particularities, the results of

Xu-tao cannot be numerically compared with the present investigation. Still, the
discrepancies of the results seem too large to be explained just by the definition
differences.
The comparation of the obtained theoretical values of rmax with the results of Xu-tao
is also connected with some difficulties. Namely, Xu-tao proposes the shallow-water
resistance only, not the corresponding deep-water value. So, in aim to calculate the
resistance ratio r=Rh/R∞ , we chose the following way. We found the shallow-water
resistance Rh by Xu-tao’s polynomial for one of the Sturtzel and Graff models
(model VBD 268) and used the corresponding experimental data for the deep-water
resistance R∞ to complete the calculations. The obtained results for rmax (Fig. 13)
still seem to be unreliable, as we found some poor agreement between the calculated
(shallow water) and experimental (deep-water) values at low Froude numbers, where
the shallow and deep-water results should match. Still, we present them, because
they suggest the same shortcomings of the present theory indicated by the results of
Sturtzel and Graff. The theory underestimates the effects of waterway bottom in
deeper waters and (because of the neglected non-linear effects) overestimates the
effects in the extremely shallow waters. Although we believe that the comparation in
Fig. 13 does exaggerate the errors of the proposed theoretical solution, it is
interesting that the boundary between underestimation and overestimation (between
moderate and extremely shallow water) is again found to be L/h ≈ 6.
The comparation of the obtained theoretical results with some classical empirically
based investigations given in the above diagrams, shows that the major shortcoming
of the present theory is connected with the lower boundary of the critical region.
Namely, according to some results (Sturtzel and Graff 1963) the sharp lower edge of

14
the critical region does not exist, but the resistance ratio gradually increases with the
increasing speed from r = 1 to the critical value r = rmax . The other results (such as
ITTC 1987 recommendation, Xu-tao 1990) give, rough and simple, the lower border
at approximately Fh ≈ 0.7. Neither agrees, even qualitatively, with the present
theory.

rmax
12
Present investigation Fig. 13. Comparation of the
obtained maximal
value of the shallow
8 water resistance ratio
with the corresponding
results derived from
Xu-tao (1990)
4 Xu-tao

0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
h/L
It was not expected that the lower boundary of the critical region proposed by the
present investigation would confirm exactly the common value 0.7Fh , not only
because it is differently obtained, but because it is differently (and more precisely)
defined. However, these boundaries should give the engineer the similar
information: how fast the vessel may sail and still avoid the unfavorable influence of
shallow waterway. So, it was expected that such differently defined and differently
obtained boundaries of the critical region still qualitatively match. The reader should
note that the important discrepancies (from the practical point of view) are not those
at higher values of h/L, where the influence of water depth is already small and hard
to measure, but those at the lower values of h/L (approximately h/L<0.2). In these
extremely shallow waters, as could be seen e. g. in Fig. 9, the present theory predicts
that the vessel with considerably higher speeds would still be in sub-critical region
and not suffer from unfavorable influence of water depth. How reliable is this new
result?
The obtained discrepancies could be contributed to the used theoretical approach:
potential flow, thin ship approximation etc. It is well known that such
approximations overestimate the ship stern waves and (consequently) the effects of
interaction of bow and stern waves, giving a poor agreement with the experiments at
some lower speeds. In the present investigation, the effects of interaction of bow and
stern waves could be seen as the wavy-shape r function just under the lower
boundary of the critical region (Fig. 2, Fig 3). Knowing of the shortcomings of the

15
potential theory, these wavelets could be understood as a theoretical overestimation
of the actual effect. Although the interaction of bow and stern waves can cause some
(small) increase of shallow water resistance ratio, it is of secondary importance in
analyzing the critical zone. The main process - the steep rise of resistance ratio r, is
governed by the influence of water depth on divergent ship wave system, that is
waterway bottom - ship wave (not bow wave - stern wave) interaction.
The measured values of r in the upper sub-critical region, because of the existing
(secondary) effect of interaction of bow and stern waves, must look in the
experiments as a large scattering of the results. Therefore, one analyzing the
experiments takes (commonly) the average curve between the measured points,
incorporates the part of the bow - stern interaction zone into the critical region, and
loses in that way the precise edge-curve between the sub-critical and critical region.
Our theoretical approach, in spite of all the approximations used, was able to
separate two different effects on the wave-making resistance and leave the
secondary bow - stern interaction out of the critical region. So it is possible that it
gives, after all, a more accurate boundary between the two regions. There is some
evidence proving such a hypothesis, found by a tentative reexamination and
reinterpretation of the published experimental data, although a more thorough
investigation of the matter is needed.

5. Conclusion

When planning and designing a vessel for shallow waters, the critical speed region
(where the influence of water depth on vessel wave-making resistance is large and
unfavorable) should be avoided. Therefore, the engineer has to judge qualitatively
the effect of water depth (asses the speed region) in the most early stages of vessel
design. To help him in that important task the authors proposed a new type of
shallow water resistance charts, presented in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5.
The charts are obtained by systematic numerical calculation of Srettensky integral,
for number of different ship forms and different dimension ratios. They distinguish,
in a clear way, whether the vessel is in sub-critical, critical or super-critical region.
And to assess that, only three input parameters are needed - vessel speed and length,
and water depth. The charts also give a rough indication of the resistance increase
due to shallow water effects. Their most important particularities - the boundaries of
the critical region, the critical Froude number and the maximal shallow water
resistance ratio are (in addition) given in the paper analytically, by approximate
expression (1), and the corresponding constants in Table 1. In that way, the engineer
is equipped with a new powerful tool for preliminary assessment of shallow water
influence on vessel wave-making resistance.
The obtained shallow water resistance charts were compared with some other
published results, relying on model experiments. It was shown that the critical speed
and (especially) the upper boundary of the critical region confirm very well with
these results. The maximum of shallow water resistance ratio (excluding the
extremely shallow water case) shows also a good agreement. These particularities of

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the proposed charts could be, therefore, applied with confidence in the practical
vessel design. The lower boundary of the critical region, however, significantly
differs. Although still under consideration, the argument was given that the
disagreement is due to the different interpretation of the critical region. The present
theory was able to isolate the main shallow water effect (waterway bottom - ship
wave interaction) from the secondary effects that are partly covering it in the
experimental measurements. If the further investigations confirm the proposed
hypothesis for the obtained discrepancies, what now seems to be a shortcoming of
the new theoretical charts, could become their major contribution.

References

[1] Basin A.M, Velednicky I.O. and Lahovicky A.G. (1976), Hydrodynamics of
Ships in Shallow Water (in Russian), Sudostroenie, Leningrad.
[2] Hofman M. and Radojcic D. (1997), Resistance and Propulsion of Fast Ships
in Shallow Water (in Serbian), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade.
[3] Hofman M. (1998), On optimal dimensions of fast vessel for shallow water,
7th International Symposium on Practical Design of Ships and Mobile Units
(PRADS’98), Hague.
[4] Lahovicky A.G. (1965), On wave making resistance of fast displacement
ships in shallow water (in Russian), Proceedings of XV NTK on Theory and
Hydrodynamics of Ships, Leningrad.
[5] Lahovicky A.G. (1968), Determination of hydrodynamic forces and moments
acting on thin ship in shallow water (in Russian), Report LIVT pp.92.
[6] Millward A. (1982), The effect of shallow water on the resistance of a ship at
high sub-critical and super-critical speeds, Transactions of RINA, Vol.124,
pp.175-181.
[7] Millward A. (1984), The effect of hull cross section on the theoretical wave
resistance of a fast ship in shallow water, International Shipbuilding Progress,
Vol.31, No.354, pp.28-33.
[8] Millward A. (1991), A comparison of the effects of restricted water depth on
a model and full size planning hull, Transactions of RINA, Vol.133, pp.237-
250
[9] Schlichting O. and Strohbuch E. (1934), Ship resistance in water of limited
depth (in German), Jahrbuch der STG, No. 35, pp. 127-147.
[10] Scott Russell J.(1845), Reports on waves, British Assoc. Reports.
[11] Srettensky L.N. (1937), Theoretical investigation of wave-making resistance
(in Russian), Central Aero-Hydrodynamics Institute Report 319, pp. 3-55.
[12] Srettensky L.N. (1977), Theory of Wave Motion of Liquids (in Russian),
Nauka, Moscow.
[13] Sturtzel W. and Graff W. (1963), Investigations for development of optimal
round bilge forms (in German), Forschungsbericht des Landes Nordrhein-
Westfalen, No. 1137.

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[14] Tuck E.O. (1966), Shallow-water flows past slender bodies, Journal of Fluid
Mechanics, Vol.26, Part 1, pp.81-95.
[15] Xu-tao Q. (1990), Study on the optimal coordination between ship and
restricted waterway, International Shipbuilding Progress, Vol.37, No.411,
pp.273-288.

Nomenclature

ai constants in polynomials for FL(low) , FL( cr ) , FL(up ) and rmax ;

B vessel breadth;
bi constants in Xu-tao’s polynomials;
CB vessel block coefficient;
Cw wave-making resistance coefficient, C w = R h /( 12 ρ S Ω v 2 ) ;
Ct total resistance coefficient, C t = Rt /( 12 ρ S Ω v 2 ) ;
Fh Froude number based on water depth, Fh = v / gh ;
FL Froude number based on vessel length, FL = v / gL ;
( cr )
F h ,FL( cr ) critical Froude numbers;
( ec ) ( ec )
F h ,F L economic Froude numbers;
Fh(low) ,FL(low) lower boundary of the critical region;
Fh(up ) ,FL(up ) upper boundary of critical region;
g gravitational acceleration;
h water depth;
Ih , Jh integral expressions in Srettensky integral;
I∞ , J∞ integral expressions in Michell integral;
L vessel length;
Rh wave-making resistance in shallow water;
R∞ wave-making resistance in deep water;
Rt total resistance in shallow water;
r shallow water resistance ratio, r = Rh / R∞ ;
rmax maximal value of shallow water resistance ratio;
S lateral surface of hull;
S wetted surface of hull;
s(z) function defining vessel cross-section;
T vessel draft;
v vessel speed;
x longitudinal coordinate;
y(x,z) function defining vessel hull;
z vertical coordinate;

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