Simulation of plunging wave impact on a vertical wall

Abstract

We present a numerical study of the impact of a two-dimensional plunging wave on a rigid vertical wall in the context of potential flow. The plunging wave impinging the wall is generated using a mixed-Eulerian-Lagrangian (MEL) boundary-integral scheme. The initial stage of the impact is characterized by an oblique impact of a liquid wedge on the wall and is solved using a similarity solution. Following the initial impact, the MEL simulation is continued to capture the transient impact process. The effect of an air cushion trapped between the plunger and the wall is considered. In addition to details such as temporal evolutions and surface profiles, the main interests are the maximum impact pressure on the wall and its rise time. To arrive at appropriate scaling laws for these, simulations are performed and correlations are explored for a broad range of local plunging wave kinematic and geometric parameters. To assess the present results, direct comparisons are made with the experiment of Chan & Melville (1988). Reasonable quantitative agreement is obtained and likely sources for discrepancies are identified and discussed.