Gravity wave interaction with floating membrane due to abrupt change in water depth

Using the recently developed expansion formulae for wave structure interaction problems, the scattering of surface water waves by a semi-infinite floating membrane due to abrupt change in bottom topography is analyzed. Both the cases of finite and infinite steps are analyzed. In the present paper, the analysis is based on the linearized theory of water waves and small amplitude membrane response. Combining the linearized kinematic and dynamic surface conditions on the water surface with the dynamic pressure condition on the membrane, a third order differential equation is derived to describe the membrane covered free surface condition. General wave energy relation for wave scattering by floating horizontal membrane is derived by the application of law of conservation of energy flux and alternately by the direct application of Green's second identity. In the floating membrane covered region, the wave energy density is a combination of the kinetic and potential energy density due to the surface gravity waves, and the surface energy density which is due to the existence of the floating membrane on the free surface. Gravity wave transformations due to an abrupt change in bottom topography in the presence of a floating membrane in finite water depth are analyzed based on shallow water approximation. Numerical results are computed and analyzed to understand the wave transformation due to the floating membrane when there is an abrupt change in topography in different cases. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.