Comparative study of collision methods and protective performance analysis of airbag-based anti-collision systems for vessels

During operations, law enforcement vessels are often at risk of intentional collisions with other vessels. This study focuses on law enforcement vessels equipped with airbag-based anti-collision systems, and develops a collision simulation analysis technique for the hull structure of vessels with such protective devices. A comparative study of the collision responses of two different collision methods on vessels equipped with protective systems is conducted, and the influence of impact velocities on the airbag’s protective performance is systematically analyzed. The results indicate that the anti-collision airbags effectively absorb the majority of the kinetic energy from the colliding vessel during low-speed impacts, providing significant protection to the struck hull structure. However, as the kinetic energy of the colliding vessel increases, the impact resistance of the protective system decreases. Within a certain range, the airbagbased anti-collision system demonstrates excellent protective performance.