Models at the Interface: mathematical methods and applications in complex ship dynamics (and a bonus one)

Riccardo Pellegrini (CNR-INM)

Abstract: This seminar aims to foster a mutual exchange of research interests by presenting a selection of marine engineering applications characterized by complex physics, transient dynamics, numerical noise, and incomplete data. The talk focuses on methodological strategies for the multidisciplinary analysis and optimization of such systems. Four case studies will be discussed: (i) fluid–structure interaction simulations for the slamming of a flat plate, highlighting the challenges of capturing coupled hydrodynamic and structural responses under highly transient loads; (ii) a structural optimization study of a high-speed planing craft, where design-space dimensionality reduction techniques are employed to handle nonlinear behaviors and reduce computational cost; (iii) a multi-fidelity surrogate-assisted optimization of the DTMB 5415 naval destroyer, demonstrating noise-robust modeling and cross-disciplinary integration of CFD and lower-order methods; and (iv) a cross-domain “plus one” example: the application of dynamic mode decomposition to model and interpret the urban mobility patterns of the City of Matera. Together, these examples illustrate a coherent framework for approaching multidisciplinary engineering problems involving complex physics, limited data, and the need for efficient and reliable optimization workflows.