Incompressible SPH simulation and experimental validation of Buoy-Wave interaction

Understanding the motions of offshore structures, which are continuously affected by waves, is important. Thus, experimental approaches have traditionally been favored. However, computational methods are currently preferred because they reflect dynamic behavior more efficiently than experiments. The incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics was used in this study to model the waves and interactions with a buoy. Validation data for wave-structure interactions were obtained by using a wave tank. An incident sinusoidal wave was generated by a piston-type wave-maker, while a non-moored cylindrical buoy moved freely horizontally and vertically. Vertical motions must be predicted because the vertical motions of offshore structures considerably affect system performance. An IWD-IMU V1 sensor was used to measure buoy motion, and the vertical acceleration was compared with simulation data. The wave-structure interaction method considers the buoyancy force by the reference to the mass difference between a solid and a hollow buoy. Wave periods of 1.42, 1.58, 2.0, and 2.24 s were used. Buoy vertical acceleration was in increasingly good agreement with the experimental results as the wave period increased. This finding confirms that the proposed method predicts vertical buoy motion.