AMC Search's "new" 100 metre Towing Tank is now open for business.

The Towing Tank has in fact been in operation since 1984 as a 60 metre Tank. In the past 21 years it has been used for many hundreds of model hull design tests for vessels ranging from America's Cup yachts, Navy vessels, high-speed car/passenger vessels, luxury pleasure boats, tugs, patrol boats and fishing vessels.

The Towing Tank is particularly suited for hull resistance tests and seakeeping analysis of new hull form designs, and is also well equipped to undertake specialist experimentation requiring unusual test configurations. In addition to the large increase in the length of the tank, the upgrade has resulted in numerous improvements to the capabilities and operation of the facility. For example, the new Towing Tank has the added option of installing a Horizontal Planar Motion Mechanism (HPMM) which provides the ability to improve the effectiveness of both surface and submerged vehicles, with particular attention to measuring static and manoeuvring coefficients.

The end result from the comprehensive upgrade is a unique National facility that supports industrial development work, hydrodynamic research and innovative techniques for teaching engineering.  The Towing Tank provides industry and researchers with the capability to undertake a wide range of physical model testing, yet is small enough to be economic in operation.