Towing Tank
The School of Marine Science and Technology has a 37 metre towing tank which is used for model experiments related to the performance of ships and other marine vehicles.
Since its construction in 1951 the Towing Tank at Newcastle has been in almost continuous use. The basic structure which is 40m long x 3.75m wide and 1.2m deep, as well as the mono-rail carriage system are almost unaltered. However the wave making and electronic recording equipment have been regularly updated to keep abreast of modern trends. The carriage can be remotely or manually controlled, while the 32 channel data retrieval system is on-line to a PC.
Services Offered
A recent innovation is a modern telemetry system which will allow data to be sampled without any wired connections between the carriage and shore based equipment. A wide range of mechanical, electronic and model making workshops are available to provide support and back-up for the Towing Tank.
The towing tank is used mainly for calm water and wave resistance experiments, and seakeeping experiments.
Testing Capabilities:- Wind loading on wet and dry structures
- Resistance measurements
- Seakeeping experiments
- Combined wind/wave/current experiments
Further Information:
- Contact: Professor Martin Downie
- Telephone: +44 (0) 191 222 6716
- E-mail: m.j.downie@ncl.ac.uk
- Website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/marine/facilities/hydrodynamics/newcastletowingtank.htm
- Contact: Peter Bowes, Facilities Manager
- Telephone: +44 (0)191 222 6919
- Email: p.bowes@ncl.ac.uk