Davidson Laboratory
 Stevens Institute of Technology, home of the Davidson Laboratory | |
Former name | Experimental Towing Tank |
|---|---|
| Established | 1935 |
Laboratory type | Marine hydrodynamics laboratory |
Field of research | Marine hydrodynamics, naval architecture, ocean engineering |
| Location | Hoboken, New Jersey, United States 40°44′42″N 74°01′26″W / 40.7449°N 74.0239°W |
Operating agency | Stevens Institute of Technology |
| Website | stevens |
| Map | |
  Location within New Jersey | |
The Davidson Laboratory, previously the experimental towing laboratory,[1] is a marine hydrodynamics and ocean engineering research facility at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, United States.[2] It opened in 1935[3] as the Experimental Towing Tank and was one of the earliest ship model towing tanks in the United States.[4][5] Research at the laboratory contributed to the development of the Savitsky method for predicting the performance of planing hulls.[6][7]
History
[edit]
Ship-model experiments at Stevens began in 1931.[8] when Kenneth S. M. Davidson,[9] a professor of mechanical engineering, tested scale models in the campus swimming pool. The Experimental Towing Tank opened in 1935 with Davidson as its director and was used to test sailing-yacht designs, among them the J-class Ranger, which won the 1937 America's Cup.[4][5][10] During the Second World War the laboratory worked for the United States government, completing an indoor maneuvering basin in 1942 and a 313-foot high-speed towing tank in 1944, and testing ship and seaplane hull models, including flying-boat hull tests published by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.[4][11][12] It was renamed the Davidson Laboratory in 1959,[13] after Davidson's death[14][11]
Research
[edit]After World War II, the laboratory carried out research on high-speed planing hulls, including work by Daniel Savitsky that led to the Savitsky method, and Navy-funded studies such as Gerard Fridsma's tests of planing boats in waves.[15] It also tested model submarines and torpedoes and contributed to the design of the submarine USS Albacore, and it continued to test America's Cup yacht designs, including the 12-metre yacht Constellation in 1964.[16][17][18] Its high-speed towing tank is 313 feet long, 12 feet wide and 6 feet deep and is fitted with a wave maker, and it has also been used to test coastal structures.[19]
References
[edit]- ↑ "EXPERIMENTAL 'LAB' REPORTS ON 10 YEARS". The New York Times. 30 December 1946. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Stevens Institute -Davidson Laboratory - TEAMER". teamer-us.org. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "EXPERIMENTAL TANK OPENED AT STEVENS; Engineers and Shipping Experts View Innovation for Testing Design of Sailing Yachts". The New York Times. 5 June 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Davidson Laboratory: About". Stevens Institute of Technology. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- 1 2 Moore-Brabazon, J. T. C. (1938). "Some Considerations on the Reaction of Wind Upon Sails". The Aeronautical Journal. 42 (334): 867–871. doi:10.1017/S0368393100107497.
- ↑ Savitsky, Daniel (1964). "Hydrodynamic Design of Planing Hulls". Marine Technology and SNAME News. 1 (4): 71–95.
- ↑ Niazmand Bilandi, Rasul; Mancini, Simone; Vitiello, Luigi; Miranda, Salvatore; De Carlini, Maria (2018). "A Validation of Symmetric 2D + T Model Based on Single-Stepped Planing Hull Towing Tank Tests". Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 6 (4): 136. doi:10.3390/jmse6040136.
- ↑ "Subseries: Davidson Laboratory |". stevensarchives.libraryhost.com. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (4 September 1948). "TALKS IN LONDON PLANNED; Stevens Institute Aide to Tell of Ship Device Experiments". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Ranger". National Museum of Industrial History. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- 1 2 "84 Years and Counting: Davidson Lab Aids the Nation". Stevens Institute of Technology. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ Davidson, Kenneth S. M.; Locke, F. W. S. (1947). General tank tests on hydrodynamic characteristics of four flying-boat hull models of differing length-beam ratio (Report). National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Wartime Report W-105.
- ↑ "STEVENS RENAMES TOWING TANK UNIT; Institute's Test Laboratory Rededicated in Memory of Founder and Director". The New York Times. 20 March 1959. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Making Waves: NAVAIR Taps Stevens for Towing Tank Rebuild". Stevens Institute of Technology. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ Fridsma, Gerard (March 1971). A Systematic Study of the Rough-Water Performance of Planing Boats (Irregular Waves, Part II) (Report). Davidson Laboratory, Stevens Institute of Technology. Report SIT-DL-71-1495 – via Defense Technical Information Center.
- ↑ "NAE Website - OLIN J. STEPHENS II 1908–2008". www.nae.edu. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "38th America's Cup". 38th America's Cup. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Davidson Laboratory: About". Stevens Institute of Technology. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ "Davidson Laboratory: Research". Stevens Institute of Technology. Retrieved 25 August 2026.