Analytical and Experimental Study of Focused Wave Action on a Partially Immersed Box

Abstract

Focused wave is a practical laboratory method for reproducing extreme waves that cause catastrophic damage to marine and coastal structures. This paper presents a simple and efficient analytical method for predicting the hydrodynamic pressure and wave forces acting on a partially immersed box when subjected to a focused wave group attack. The boundary value issue of the physical problem is first investigated to derive an analytical formula based on potential flow theory and the matching eigenfunction method. Thereafter, the test data from a hydrodynamic experiment is used to verify the accuracy of the proposed analytical model. Using the validated analytical model, a parametric analysis is conducted to gain insight into the effects of the structural configuration and wave properties on the pressure and wave forces. It is observed that the hydrodynamic pressure on the offshore side plate, horizontal wave force, and moment are notably influenced by the structure breadth and draft. A focused wave with a lower peak frequency and higher focused amplitude is found to exert greater wave forces on the partially immersed box. The paper shows the value of linear wave theory for wave loads prediction even for focused waves although with some limitations.