A new analytical model for pressure estimation of symmetrical water impact of a rigid wedge at variable velocities

In this paper we present an analytical solution to symmetrical water impact problems of a two-dimensional wedge. Unlike previous studies, we have taken into account the effect of velocity reduction of the solid body upon impact in order to determine impact pressure as well as the overall force acting on the body. This feature of our study provides a better estimate of the transitory nature of the phenomenon and leads to a more precise evaluation of the true dynamic load borne by the body. We obtained the solution to this problem through a generalization of the Wagner formulation and the use of an existing analytical prediction model of the entry velocity of the wedge. This approach allows us to obtain an original analytical equation for pressure in terms of the kinetics and geometrical parameters of the impact. The validity of the proposed model is demonstrated by a favourable comparison between the analytical results and the physical experiments carried out on several wedge models.