A GENTLE nudge at the right time could stop a flooded ship from capsizing. So say researchers whose computer simulations show how the chaotic movements of a flooded ship can be controlled.
Once a ship takes on water it can capsize in seconds if the water is free to slosh from one side of the vessel to the other. The ship quickly becomes unstable, and the movement of the sea makes things worse. The waves outside the ship create a resonance effect with the water inside, which causes the ship to roll dramatically. This movement often becomes chaotic and that…
