Construction and Testing of Small-Scale Transformable-Hull Concept Boat

Practically all marine vessels have fixed-geometry hulls. This limits their capabilities and high-performance regimes to a limited set of operational conditions. Having a transformable or adaptive hull structure can help maximize ship’s operational performance for various scenarios. In this work, a transformable concept boat is conceived that can change its configuration from monohull to twin-hulled configuration. A catamaran is desirable for carrying volumetric cargo or creating a large deck space that can serve, for example, as a launch pad for aircraft, while more compact monohulls can be more easily stored or operated in restricted environments. A monohull and a catamaran also have different stability, hydrodynamic, maneuvering and seakeeping characteristics. In the present effort, a small-scale model boat has been constructed with two hulls that can be brought together or separated using an expansion mechanism driven by a servo motor. This model setup has been equipped with propulsors, batteries, and control and communication modules for radio-controlled operations. In addition, a remote data acquisition system was assembled for measuring boat’s kinematic and powering characteristics. Results of initial tests with the small-scale transformable boat in an open water reservoir are reported and discussed in this paper.