Analytical and numerical computation of added mass in vibration analysis for a superyacht

The prediction of the comfort level on board yachts in their early design stage is the present challenge for designers. This can be achieved by using calculation methodologies suitable to predict the dynamic behaviour of the unit in terms of vibration and noise. In the design stage, the most used approach is a finite element (FE) analysis carried out on numerical models as close as possible to the real structural lay out. Nevertheless, whatever is the mesh definition, rough or fine, the parameter that heavily influences the behaviour of a numerical model is the water added mass which increases the yacht total mass and modifies the vibration mode frequencies. In this paper, the added mass of a yacht is studied, by comparing the added mass obtained by the well-known Lewis formulation and the one obtained by numerical calculations is carry out.