Numerical Simulation of Anti-Impact Performance of Bulbous Bows on Ships Subjected to Underwater Non-Contact Explosion

The bulbous bow，a key structure of modern naval vessels，plays the role of reducing fluid resistance and accommodating shipboard sonars. Its structural strength directly relates to the vessel’s combat capability，and its anti-explosion performance guarantees the vessel’s survivability. In this paper，a finite element model of the bulbous bow is established based on ANSYS，and the numerical simulation of its anti-impact property is carried out with ABAQUS. The results show that with rational optimization design and material selection，the plastic deformation of bulbous bows subjected to different underwater non-contact explosion loads can be limited within a safe range. Particularly，the primary weak link is observed to locate at the connecting area of the fairing and hull plate，which can be strengthened correspondingly during the design process.