Numerical Analysis of Ship-Generated Waves Action on a Vertical Cylinder

In this paper, the action of ship-generated waves on a nearby vertical cylinder is considered in pure theory. Intensive demands of modern sea transportation result in larger and larger ships. These ships generate high waves as they move in calm water. The ship-generated waves can travel long distances without much attenuation. They are so strong that they might cause damage to nearby marine structures (e.g., platforms, river banks, breakwaters, etc.). Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the forces of ship-generated waves acting on nearby marine structures. The problem turns out to be composed of two problems: evaluation of waves generated by a moving ship (ship-wave problem) and evaluation of the action of ship waves on a cylinder (wave-action problem). Here the wave-action problem is computed in detail with a boundary element method in time domain. And the ship-wave problem is evaluated in the well-known Michell thin-ship theory. Thus, the problem posed in this paper is finally solved using numerical methods by combining the ship-wave and wave-action problems. The numerical analyses of the result are: The resultant forces and moments acting on the cylinder are surprisingly large, characterized by being highly oscillatory. The periods of the oscillations are proportional to ship speed. The actions of ship-generated waves on nearby structures are not negligible. This is a new factor necessary to be considered for design of both marine structures and ships. Meanwhile, the potential fatigue damage resulting from oscillations of the forces and moments should be considered, too.