From September 16^th – 19^th the University of Southampton took part in the 7^th International Conference on Hydroelasticity in Marine Technology (Hyel 2015). 90 participants from international universities, research institutes and companies gathered in Split, Croatia for the 4 day event.  57 papers were presented overall, of which 6 were presented by the 5 attending University of Southampton researchers and postgraduate students.

The conference, organised jointly by Bureau Veritas and University of Zagreb, focused on the practical application of hydroelasticity methods to a range of issues including wave-induced global vibrations, sloshing, slamming, vortex induced vibrations, Very Large Floating Structures and aquaculture structures.  The conference venue also gave the opportunity for watching the many interesting vessels visiting Split.

The papers presented by the FSI group discussed a diverse range of topics. The use of Rapid Prototyping for flexible model construction for towing tank testing was presented by Dr Jon Downes, whilst Dr Sally Bennett presented research on both the effect of sequences of abnormal waves on the global loads experienced by a naval frigate, and the hydroelastic modelling of damaged ships.  Postgraduate student Josef Camilleri presented his research on the two-dimensional numerical modelling of slamming impact loads on high speed craft.  Arun Lakshmynarayanana demonstrated coupled fluid-structure interactions to model the three-dimensional dynamic behaviour of a ship in waves. Linh Nguyen presented an investigation into the flow around two circular cylinders in tandem with 2D RANS which is a collaborative work between FSI and the Energy and Climate Change Group at the University of Southampton.  All contributions from Southampton prompted interesting discussion and debate both during the sessions and the coffee breaks!