SOLITARY WAVE SCATTERING BY A VERTICAL CYLINDER: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

The nonlinear interaction of a solitary wave and a vertical circular cylinder is examined. The wave field was measured at various locations near the cylinder and the detailed process of wave reflection, diffraction and scattering is discussed. The formation of the first and second scattered wave is observed as the incident wave first encounters the cylinder and as it leaves the cylinder respectively. Comparisons are made to the generalized Boussinesq (gB) model which is found to give quite good results for the wave heights except very close to the cylinder surface and in the immediate wake region behind the cylinder. The net force on the cylinder in the direction of incident wave propagation was measured as function of time, and good agreement with the gB model is obtained.