Hydrodynamic Interaction Coefficients for an Array of Freely Floating Bodies in Waves

Abstract

This paper examines the hydrodynamic interaction coefficients for added mass and damping of multiple arbitrarily shaped three-dimensional (3-D) bodies floating freely in close proximity to one another. Numerical simulations were performed using Hydrostar, a commercial hydrodynamic software developed by Bureau Veritas. Initially, the simulations were carried out for a box-cylinder model and a modified Wigley-rectangular barge model. The simulation results for the hydrodynamic interaction coefficients were validated by comparing them with published results and the agreement was found quite satisfactory. Subsequent simulations were conducted for an array of identical truncated composite circular cylinders floating vertically in regular waves, positioned close to each other. During the computation of the hydrodynamic interaction coefficients for this multi-body configuration, both the number of cylinders in the array and the gap width between them were varied. The study also investigated the occurrence of hydrodynamic resonances in the gaps between the floating bodies and the presence of sharp spikes in the results of the diagonal and cross-coupling interaction terms. Finally, some conclusions were drawn based on the findings of the analysis.