HYDRODYNAMIC COEFFICIENTS AND NUMERICAL VERIFICATION OF A RECTANGULAR BARGE: A FREQUENCY-DOMAIN PANEL-METHOD STUDY

Rectangular barges are widely used for their high payload capacity and stability, but their bluff geometry creates complex hydrodynamic responses requiring accurate analysis for safe operation. In this study, Hydrodynamic Coefficients and Numerical Verification of a Rectangular Barge: A Frequency-Domain Panel-Method Study was carried out to determine the hydrodynamic behaviour of a 70.0 m × 30.0 m × 7.0 m rectangular barge with 5.0 m draft and 10,762.5 t displacement. The problem addressed is the reliability of panel-method predictions of added mass, radiation damping, wave-excitation forces, and motion responses for a barge. A 3D ANSYS AQWA panel model was used over 0.2–2.0 rad/s for heave, roll, and pitch. Unlike studies reporting hydrodynamic coefficients or motion responses, this work combines coefficient evaluation with mesh convergence, symmetry verification, published comparison, natural-period consistency, and GZ assessment. Results showed heave added mass of 1.54×10⁷ kg at 0.1 rad/s, reducing to 6.33×10⁶ kg at 3.0 rad/s, while roll and pitch added masses decreased from 5.77×10^8 to 2.92×10⁸kg·m² and 2.19×10⁹ to 1.19×10⁹kg·m². Radiation damping reached 5.50×10⁶ N·s/m in heave, 7.00×10⁷N·m·s in roll, and 1.50×10⁹ N·m·s in pitch. Natural periods were 6.22 s, 7.28 s, and 4.84 s, compared with RAO peaks of 6.68 s, 7.35 s, and 5.01 s. Mesh refinement from 3000 to 6000 panels changed the heave RAO peak by 0.31%. Symmetry differences remained below 0.08%, while roll-RAO comparison showed 1.1% period and 7.3% peak differences. GZ reached 2.33 m at 20° and zero near 58°. The results confirm that verified frequency-domain panel modelling can provide hydrodynamic data for barge seakeeping, stability, and design, and recommends mesh verification before application.