PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF BUOY-MEMBRANE WAVE BARRIERS

Abstract

The interaction of water waves with a tensioned, inextensible, vertical flexible membrane hinged at the sea floor and attached to a solid cylindrical buoy at its top, was investigated in the context of two-dimensional linear wave-body interaction theory. A two-domain boundary element program was developed based on a discrete-membrane dynamic model and simple-source distribution over the entire fluid boundaries. To verify the numerical results, a series of experiments were conducted with two different models in the two-dimensional wave tank. For each model, both surface-piercing and submerged cases were tested. The numerical prediction was generally in good agreement with experimental results except resonance regions. The comparison was improved after including viscous or material damping effects. It is shown that the buoy/membrane system can be a very effective wave barrier if it is properly designed.