Objectives To investigate the drag reduction effect of hydrofoils and further improve the resistance performance of channel planing hulls at high speed.

Methods This study conducted resistance characteristic calculations and evaluations of channel hydrofoil planing hulls based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The resistance characteristics of channel planing hulls and channel hydrofoil planing hulls were compared, and the mechanisms by which hydrofoils influence resistance and motion posture at different speeds were explored.

Results The study systematically reveals the speed-dependent resistance characteristics, motion posture, and optimization mechanisms of channel hydrofoil planing hulls: at moderate and low speeds, the hydrofoils have limited effects on hull resistance and draft. However, under high-speed conditions, hydrofoils significantly reduce total resistance and average draft by providing additional lift, with resistance improvement exhibiting a nonlinear growth trend. The coupling effects between hydrofoils and the hull manifest as an optimized lift-to-drag ratio for the main hull and nonlinear enhancement of the flow field. At high speeds, hydrofoils optimize the flow field by suppressing boundary layer separation, homogenizing the pressure distribution on the channel bottom, and reducing the wetted surface area.

Conclusions This study provides technical references for the design and development of channel hydrofoil planing hulls.