Surface disturbances of fluid due to vertical surface-piercing cylinder

Abstract

Studying the profile of fluid surfaces caused by a vertical surface-piercing cylinder has a long history. First results date back to the seminal work of Lord Kelvin. This problem still presents a challenge for analytical treatment and requires advanced computational tools and sophisticated experimental facilities. Our study proposes a simplified physics-based model for the estimation of the bow wave run-up on the front of a vertical surface-piercing cylinder and the calculation of gravity–capillary waves in steady flows at high Froude numbers. The model assumes conservation of momentum of the surface-piercing cylinder being transferred to the free surface of the fluid and the effects of gravity, capillarity and viscosity for the computation of the fluid motion around the cylinder. The model is validated against experiments performed in a towing tank for different cylinder diameters and results from previous studies.