Design of a Flapping Fins Mechanism for Roll Damping of Yachts at Anchor: Kinematic, Hydrodynamic and Structural Study

The design of a flapping fins stabilization system for yachts at anchor (zero speed conditions) is presented in this study. The solution presented in this manuscript took inspiration from a solution proposed for the design of a biologically inspired flapping UAV. Although the application was different, we used the same principles and methodology to design and study the stabilization mechanism discussed hereafter. The proposed system uses flapping fins to damp the roll oscillations of the vessel, and when the stabilization system is retracted, the surface of each of the fins is flush with the hull, thus offering minimum resistance when the ship is in cruise conditions. The unsteady forces of the flapping fins were computed using computational fluid dynamics, and they were used as input to conduct the structural and durability study of the proposed mechanism. The vessel’s response to roll perturbations was also studied, using a multi-body dynamics approach. From the results obtained, and the design specifications defined, it was found that the response of the stabilization system was acceptable, and that the mechanism could withstand the inertial and hydrodynamic loads.