| Abstract | It is often helpful to calculate a centre of effort to help interpret load data gathered from physical model testing. The centre of effort is taken to be a point where a load consisting of a force and the smallest possible moment must be located if it is to be equivalent to the actual loading on the model. The mathematical equations used to locate the centre of effort cannot specify a point, but do define a line; this line is the line of action of the equivalent load. In an attempt to hold to the traditional view that the centre of effort is a point, a method for selecting a point along the line of action as a point centre of effort is given. The method compares the lines of action from similar test to test is minimized. In some cases, the method can be sensitive to experimental error. The method was applied to data gathered in a test of the hydrodynamic loads acting on a component of a minesweeping system. This application of the method helped to determine what circumstances cause the method to become overly sensitive to experimental error. Two other methods of specifying a point instead of a line were suggested. They set arbitrary restrictions on the location of the centre of effort, and are expected to be roughly as sensitive to error as the method developed here. |
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