A Volume-of-Fluid based simulation method for wave impact problems

In this paper, some aspects of water impact and green water loading are considered by numerically investigating a dambreak problem and water entry problems. The numerical method is based on the Navier-Stokes equations that describe the flow of an incompressible viscous fluid. The equations are discretised on a fixed Cartesian grid using the finite volume method. Even though very small cut cells can appear when moving an object through the fixed grid, the method is stable. The free surface is displaced using the Volume-of-Fluid method together with a local height function, resulting in a strictly mass conserving method. The choice of boundary conditions at the free surface appears to be crucial for the accuracy and robustness of the method. For validation, results of a dambreak simulation are shown that can be compared with measurements. A box has been placed in the flow, as a model for a container on the deck of an offshore floater on which forces are calculated. The water entry problem has been investigated by dropping wedges with different dead-rise angles, a cylinder and a cone into calm water with a prescribed velocity. The resulting free surface dynamics, with the sideways jets, has been compared with photographs of experiments. Also a comparison of slamming coefficients with theory and experimental results has been made. Finally, a drop test with a free falling wedge has been simulated. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.