The project aims to build an innovative towing tank and optimize the structure of the finishing layer that will be applied to the bottom and side walls for the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory of the Department of Mobility and Public Works and the Equity Flanders Hydraulics.

This finishing layer ensures that the geometric tolerance on the cross-section of the towing tank is brought within millimeters.

In addition, this innovative assignment ensures that this can be carried out over a distance of 90 meters without seams or joints.

The new tank of 177 m long and 20 m wide will be used to measure the forces on scale models of ships. The results are used to draw up mathematical models that predict the maneuvering behavior of ships in shallow and confined water. This is important to guarantee the accessibility and safety of the Flemish ports and navigable waterways.

The new towing tank will be equipped with a carriage consisting of a main carriage that travels lengthwise, a transverse carriage, a vertical positioning system of the ship model and a yaw table to allow the model to rotate 360°. A number of additional benefits include observation windows in the bottom and side walls, large ship models up to 8 m and a state-of-the-art wave maker.