Application of smoothed particle hydrodynamics for modeling the wave-moored floating breakwater interaction

Abstract The application of a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model to simulate the nonlinear interaction between waves and a moored floating breakwater is presented. The main aim is to predict and validate the response of the moored floating structure under the action of periodic waves. The Euler equations together with an artificial viscosity are used as the governing equations to describe the flow field. The motion of the moored floating body is described using the Newton’s second law of motion. The interactions between the waves and structures are modeled by setting a series of SPH particles on the boundary of the structure. The hydrodynamic forces acting on the floating body are evaluated by summing up the interacting forces on the boundary particles from the neighboring fluid particles. The water surface elevations, the movements of the floating body and the moored forces are all calculated and compared with the available experimental data. Good agreements are obtained for the dynamic response and hydrodynamic performance of the floating body. The numerical results of different immersion depths of the floating body are compared with that of the corresponding fixed body. The effects of the relative length and the density of the structure on the performance of the floating body are analyzed.