Investigation of wave forces on partially submerged horizontal cylinders by numerical simulation

Wave forces on partially submerged fixed cylinders are investigated by numerical simulation; the numerical wave tank is based on the Navier-Stokes equation and VOF method spatially discretized using finite elements. Cylinders with circular and squared cross sections are used in this investigation. The features of typical force curves in a wave cycle, the magnitude of wave forces, influence of relative axis depth of cylinder, relative wave amplitude and relative wave length on the wave forces are investigated. The numerical results are compared with those calculated by a modified Morrison׳s equation considering a varying immersed volume of cylinder. The comparison shows modified Morrison׳s equation tends to underestimate the wave forces.