Numerical calculation of forces induced by short-crested waves on a vertical cylinder of arbitrary cross-section

Most off-shore oil platforms are supported by vertical cylinders extending to the ocean floor. An important problem in off-shore engineering is the calculation of the wave loading exerted on these vertical cylinders. Analytical solutions have been found for the case of plane incident waves incident on a circular cylinder by MacCamy and Fuchs [(1954), Wave forces on piles: a diffraction theory. U.S. Army Corps of Engineering, Beach Erosion Board, Technical Memorandum No. 69] and also for short-crested waves incident on a circular cylinder by Zhu [(1993), Diffraction of short-crested waves around a circular cylinder. Ocean Engng 20, 389–407]. However, for a cylinder of arbitrary cross-section, no analytic solutions currently exist. Au and Brebbia [(1983), Diffraction of water waves for vertical cylinders using boundary elements. Appl. Math. Modelling 7, 106–114] proposed an efficient numerical approach to calculate the wave loads induced by plane waves on vertical cylinders by using the boundary element method. However, wind-generated waves are better modelled by short-crested waves. Whether or not these short-crested waves can induce larger wave forces on a structure is of great concern to ocean engineers. In this paper wave loads, induced by short-crested incident waves, on a vertical cylinder of arbitrary cross-section are discussed. For a cylinder of certain cross-section, the wave loads induced by short-crested waves can be larger than those induced by plane waves with the same total wave number.     

The prediction of the dynamic and structural motions of a floating-pier system in waves

In this study, a two-dimensional floating pier consists of single rectangular impermeable pontoon with side supporting pile-columns is studied. The purpose of this study is to present a theoretical solution for the linearized problem of incident waves exerting on a floating pier with pile-restrained. All boundary conditions are linearized in the problem, which is incorporated into a scattering problem and radiation problem with unit displacement. The method of separation of variables is used to solve for velocity potentials. For the radiation problem with unit heave and pitch amplitude, the boundary value problem with non-homogeneous boundary condition beneath the structure is solved by using a solution scheme. By calculating the wave force from velocity potential and solving the equation of motion of the floating structure simultaneously a close form theoretical solution for the problem is developed. The finite element method was also applied to calculate the dynamic responses on the supporting piles subjected to the pontoon motions and incident waves.     

Wave-induced surge motion of a tension leg structure

An analytical solution for the coupling problem of a two-dimensional tension leg structure interacting with a monochromatic linear wave train in an inviscid and incompressible fluid is presented. The tension legs are considered to be linearly elastic. The flow is further assumed to be irrotational and single-valued velocity potentials can then be defined.The boundary value problem is incorporated into a scattering and a radiation problem. The boundary value problems are then solved separately and combined to resolve all unknowns. The complete solutions of the velocity potentials are represented by the series of eigen-functions, and the surge motion of the structure is described in terms of the incident wave properties.The analytical solution is compared with a computer-coded numerical solution utilizing the boundary element method. The solutions agree very well, and both predict a resonant frequency for a specific structure which is different from the natural frequency of the structure due to the presence of the evanescent waves caused by the structure.     

Interaction of dispersive water waves with weakly sheared currents of arbitrary profile

A set of depth-integrated equations describing combined wave–current flows is derived and validated. To account for the effect of turbulence induced by interactions between waves and currents with arbitrary horizontal vorticity, new additional stress terms are introduced. These stresses are functions of a parameter b that relates the relative importance of wave radiation stress and bottom friction stress to the wave–current interaction. To solve the equations, a fourth-order MUSCL-TVD scheme with an approximate Riemann solver is adopted. As a first-order check of the model, the Doppler shift effect and wave dispersion over linearly sheared currents are analytically shown to be retained appropriately in the equation set. The model results are then validated through comparisons with three experimental data sets. First, based on the experiments of Kemp and Simons (1982, 1983), a reasonable functional form of b is estimated. Second, simulations examining the propagation of a weakly dispersive wave over a depth-uniform or linearly sheared current are performed. Finally, the model is applied to a more complex configuration where bichromatic waves interact with spatially varying currents. Simulated results indicate that the model is capable of predicting nearshore interactions of waves with currents of arbitrary vertical structure. One of the unique properties of the developed model is its ability to assimilate an external current field from any source, be it from a circulation model or an observation, and predict the interaction of a nonlinear and dispersive wave field with that current.     

On the radiation and diffraction of water waves by a rectangular structure with a sidewall

A radiation and diffraction boundary value problem is investigated. It arises from the interaction of linear water waves with a freely floating rectangular structure in a semi-infinite fluid domain of finite water depth with the leeward boundary being a vertical wall. Analytical expressions for the radiated potentials and the diffracted potential are obtained by use of the method of separation of variables and the eigenfunction expansion method. The added masses and damping coefficients for the structure heaving, swaying and rolling in calm water are obtained by use of the corresponding radiated potentials and the wave excitation forces are calculated by use of the diffracted potential. To verify the correctness of the method, a boundary element method is used. A comparison of the analytical results with those obtained by the boundary element method is made and good agreement is achieved, which shows that the analytical expressions for the radiated and diffracted potentials are correct. By use of the present analytical solution, the added mass, damping coefficients, wave excitation force, together with the hydrodynamic effects of the draft, width of the structure and the clearance between the structure and the sidewall are also investigated.     

A modified scaled boundary finite-element method for problems with parallel side-faces. Part II. Application and evaluation

The modified scaled boundary finite-element method (SBFEM), keeping the advantages of the original SBFEM, eliminates the restriction of the scaling center location so that this approach can solve two-dimensional problems with parallel side-faces. In this paper, the modified SBFEM is applied to solutions of two types of problems—wave diffraction by a single and twin surface rectangular obstacles and wave radiation induced by an oscillating mono-hull and twin-hull structures in a finite depth of water. For wave diffraction problems, numerical results agree extremely well with the analytic solution for the single obstacle case and other numerical results of a different approach for the twin obstacle case. For wave radiation problems, the particular solutions to the scaled boundary finite-element equation are presented for cases of heave, sway and roll motions. The added mass and damping coefficients for heave, sway and roll motions of a two-dimensional rectangular container are computed and the numerical results are compared with those from independent analytical solution and numerical solution using the boundary element method (BEM). It is found that the SBFEM method achieves equivalent accuracy to the conventional BEM with only a few degrees of freedom. In the last example, wave radiation by a two-dimensional twin-hull structure is analyzed. Comparisons of the results with those obtained using conventional Green's function method (GFM) demonstrate that the method presented in this paper is free from the irregular frequency problems.     

Nonlinear response of membranes to ocean waves using boundary and finite elements

The behavior of a highly deformable membrane to ocean waves was studied by coupling a nonlinear boundary element model of the fluid domain to a nonlinear finite element model of the membrane. The hydrodynamic loadings induced by water waves are computed assuming large body hydrodynamics and ideal fluid flow and then solving the transient diffraction/radiation problem. Either linear waves or finite amplitude waves can be assumed in the model and thus the nonlinear kinematic and dynamic free surface boundary conditions are solved iteratively. The nonlinear nature of the boundary condition requires a time domain solution. To implicitly include time in the governing field equation, Volterra's method was used. The approach is the same as the typical boundary element method for a fluid domain where the governing field equation is the starting point. The difference is that in Volterra's method the time derivative of the governing field equation becomes the starting point.The boundary element model was then coupled through an iterative process to a finite element model of membrane structures. The coupled model predicts the nonlinear interaction of nonlinear water waves with highly deformable bodies. To verify the coupled model a large scale test was conducted in the OH Hinsdale wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State University on a 3-ft-diameter fabric cylinder submerged in the wave tank. The model data verified the numerical prediction of the structure displacements and of the changes in the wave field.The boundary element model is an ideal modeling technique for modeling the fluid domain when the governing field equations is the Laplace equation. In this case the nonlinear boundary element model was coupled with a finite element model of membrane structures, but the model could have been coupled with other finite element models of more rigid structures, such as a pontoon floating breakwater.     

The hydrodynamic coefficients for an oscillating rectangular structure on a free surface with sidewall

Based on a two dimensional linear water wave theory, the boundary element method (BEM) is developed and applied to study the heave and the sway problem of a floating rectangular structure in water to finite depth with one side of the boundary is a vertical sidewall and the other boundary is an open boundary. Numerical results for the added mass and radiation damping coefficients are presented. These coefficients are not only depend on the submergence and the width of the structure, but also depend on the clearance between structure and sidewall. Negative added mass and sharp peaks in the damping and added mass coefficients have been found when the clearance with a value close to integral times of half wave length of wave generated by oscillation structure. The important effect of the clearance on the added mass and radiation damping coefficients are discussed in detail. An analytical solution method is also presented. The BEM solution is compared with the analytical solution, and the comparison shows good agreement.     

An approximated method for the solution of elliptic problems in thin domains: Application to nonlinear internal waves

Realistic numerical simulations of nonlinear internal waves (NLIWs) have been hampered by the need to use computationally expensive nonhydrostatic models. In this paper, we show that the solution to the elliptic problem arising from the incompressibility condition can be successfully approximated by a few terms (three at most) of an expansion in powers of the ratio (horizontal grid spacing)/(total depth). For an n dimensional problem, each term in the expansion is the sum of a function that satisfies a one-dimensional second-order ODE in the vertical direction plus, depending on the surface boundary condition, the solution to an n-1 dimension elliptic problem, an evident saving over having to solve the original n-dimensional elliptic problem. This approximation provides the physically correct amount of dispersion necessary to counteract the nonlinear steepening tendency of NLIWs. Experiments with different types of NLIWs validate the approach. Unlike other methods, no ad hoc artificial dispersion needs to be introduced.     

On waves propagating over a submerged poro-elastic structure

In this paper, the problem of incident waves propagating over a submerged poro-elastic structure is studied theoretically. A linear wave theory is used to describe the wave motion. The submerged poro-elastic structure is modeled based on Biot's theory, in which the fluid motion is described using the potential wave theory of Sollitt and Cross (1972). In the present approach, the problem domain is divided into four subregions. Using general solutions for each region and matching dynamic and kinematic conditions for neighboring regions, analytic solutions are derived for the wave fields and poro-elastic structure. The present analytic solutions compare very well with simplified cases of impermeable, rigid structures, and with those of porous structures. Using the present analytic solution, the effects of a poro-elastic submerged structure on waves are studied. The results show that softer poro-elastic structures can induce higher reflection and lower transmission from incident waves. For low permeability conditions, the elasticity of the structure can induce resonance, while higher permeability can depress the resonant effects.     

Radiation and diffraction of linear water waves by an infinitely long submerged rectangular structure parallel to a vertical wall

The radiation and the diffraction of linear water waves by an infinitely long floating rectangular structure submerged in water of finite depth with leeward boundary being a vertical wall are analyzed in this paper by using the method of separation of variables. Analytical expressions for the radiated and diffracted potentials are derived as infinite series with unknown coefficients determined by the eigenfunction expansion matching method. The expressions for wave forces and hydrodynamic coefficients are given. A comparison is made between the results obtained by the present analytical solution and those obtained by the boundary element method. By using the present analytical solution, the hydrodynamic influences of the submergence, the width, the thickness of the structure, and the distance between the structure and the wall on the wave forces and hydrodynamic coefficients are discussed in detail.     

An analysis of second-order wave forces on floating bodies by using a higher-order boundary element method

The wave diffraction and radiation problem is studied numerically by using a higher-order boundary element method. The convergence of the higher-order boundary element method is tested systematically for bodies of different shapes. For the second-order force, particular attention is paid to the contribution of the second-order potential, following the line of Molin's approach. For numerical evaluation, the free surface is divided into three subregions; inner, intermediate and outer ones. In the inner region, the integral is evaluated numerically by using higher-order boundary elements. In the intermediate region, semi-analytic form is constructed with the help of eigen functions. In the outer domain, the analytic solution is available. This subdivision scheme reduces the numerical burden remarkably.     

A second approximation to the time-mean lagrangian drift beneath a series of progressive gravity waves

A fourth-order solution is derived for the mean drift induced by a steady train of waves in water of constant depth. New measurements are carried out of the drift in the body of the fluid and the drift velocity gradient at the free surface. Comparison of theory and experiment shows significantly better agreement with the present fourth-order solution than with the previous second-order solution of Longuet-Higgins, M.S., 1953 [Phil. Trans. R. Soc.245, 535–581]. In particular, the present solution reproduces the observed tendency of the surface drift velocity to rise in shallow water and to level-off in very deep water.     

Analytic study to wave scattering by a general Homma island using the explicit modified mild-slope equation

In this paper, an exact analytic solution in terms of Taylor series to the explicit modified mild-slope equation (EMMSE) for wave scattering by a general Homma island is constructed and the convergence of the series solution is analyzed. To validate the new analytic solution, comparisons are made against the existing solutions including analytic solutions to both the long-wave equation and Helmholtz equation, approximate analytic solutions to the modified mild-slope equation, numerical solutions to the mild-slope equation and experimental solutions. Because of the use of the governing equation EMMSE together with mass-conserving matching conditions along the toe of the shoal, the present model is valid for not only waves in the whole spectrum from long waves to short waves but also bathymetries with the maximal seabed slope being as high as 4.27:1. Since the general Homma island is an extension of the original Homma island, the present solution can be very conveniently used to study the effects of bottom topography on combined refraction and diffraction. It is found that the larger the shoal size is, the more significant the wave amplification against the cylinder is.     

Effective boundary element method for the interaction of oblique waves with long prismatic structures in water of finite depth

An effective boundary element method (BEM) is presented for the interaction between oblique waves and long prismatic structures in water of finite depth. The Green's function used here is the basic Green's function that does not satisfy any boundary condition. Therefore, the discretized elements for the computation must be placed on all the boundaries. To improve the computational efficiency and accuracy, a modified method for treatment of the open boundary conditions and a direct analytical approach for the singularity integrals in the boundary integral equation are adopted. The present BEM method is applied to the calculation of hydrodynamic coefficients and wave exciting forces for long horizontal rectangular and circular structures. The performance of the present method is demonstrated by comparisons of results with those generated by other analytical and numerical methods.     

An iterative method for boundary element solution of large offshore structures using the GMRES solver

The GMRES approach is used to solve complex matrix solution arising from boundary element analysis of large offshore structures. This makes it possible to solve problems with large numbers of panels on a workstation with a much smaller memory than typical high performance computers. The speed of the solver is compatible with direct solvers when the enough RAM is available. Otherwise, an iteration procedure can be used. By using an out-of-core treatment, typical RAM requirement is reduced to a size approximately linearly proportional to the panel number n instead of being proportional to n². The code is first verified with direct solver for cases with small number of panels. The applicability to large offshore structure of the model is demonstrated for a TLP case.     

Improved coastal boundary condition for surface water waves

Surface water waves in coastal waters are commonly modeled using the mild slope equation. One of the parameters in the coastal boundary condition for this equation is the direction at which waves approach a coast. Three published methods of estimating this direction are examined, and it is demonstrated that the wave fields obtained using these estimates deviate significantly from the corresponding analytic solution. A new method of estimating the direction of approaching waves is presented and it is shown that this method correctly reproduces the analytic solution. The ability of these methods to simulate waves in a rectangular harbor is examined.     

双淹没矩形体的透反射特性分析

采用解析方法研究了斜向入射波作用下双淹没矩形体的透反射系数特性.首先利用特征函数展开法导出了绕射势函数的分析解并进一步得到透反射系数的计算公式,然后利用边界元方法验证了解析解.与单个的淹没矩形体相比,双淹没矩形体在一定范围内有较高的反射系数.最后利用解析解分析了若干工况下的双淹没矩形体的透反射特性,给出了影响透反射系数的几何因素.     

Hydrodynamics of a submerged hydrofoil advancing in waves

The hydrodynamic problem of a hydrofoil travelling at constant speed in water waves has been investigated through velocity potential theory. The boundary conditions on the free surface have been linearized, and the effects are accounted for through the Green function. The overall problem is decomposed into the steady forward speed problem and periodic wave radiation and diffraction problems. Each of these problems is solved using the boundary integral equation over the hydrofoil surface together with a vortex sheet behind the trailing edge. The body surface boundary condition is imposed on its mean position. As a result the steady potential will contribute a well-known m_j term to the body surface boundary condition on the radiation problem. The numerical difficulty in dealing with this term is effectively resolved through a difference method. The effects of the thickness on the wave radiation and diffraction are investigated. The applicability of various reciprocity relationships in this problem is discussed.     

Theoretical solution for wave diffraction by wedge or corner with arbitrary reflection characteristics

An exact analytic solution for wave diffraction by wedge or corner with arbitrary angle (rπ) and reflection coefficients (R0 and Rr) is presented in this paper. It is expressed in two forms-series and integral representations, corresponding recurrence relation and asymptotic expressions are also derived. The solution is simplified for some special cases of rπ. For Rr= R0,r= 1/N and Rr≠R0,r = 1/2N, the solution can be reduced to linear superpositions of incident and partially reflected waves, hence a nonlinear solution of forth order for this problem can be obtained by using the author's theory of nonlinear interaction among gravity surface waves. The given solution is related to inhomogeneous Robin boundary conditions, which include the Neumann boundary conditions usually accepted in wave diffraction theory.