Subscribe, it's free!
Have you ever wondered why there is that nose at the tip of a ship's hull, just below the waterline?
----
When a ship moves, it expends a certain amount of energy to push the water in front of it out of its way, generating waves that propagate along the hull. Among the different types of ships’ resistances, this wave-making is one that causes the greatest drag.
This is where the bulbous bow comes in. The waves generated by it destructively interfere with those generated by the ship's hull.
A bulbous bow is a protruding bulb at the bow (or front) of a ship just below the waterline. The bulb modifies the way the water flows around the hull, reducing drag and thus increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency, and stability.
The wave created by the bulb partially cancels out the bow wave, reducing its drag by up to 25%. It also increases stability and speed and reduces fuel consumption by up to 15%, improving range.
Note: This video is an adaptation of a video from my Brazilian Portuguese channel called "Integrando Conhecimento".