Collisions between two thin floating disks forced by regular water waves are studied for a range of wave amplitudes and lengths, using laboratory wave basin experiments and a mathematical model. Three collision regimes are identified from the experiments in terms of collision frequency and strength, and the collisions are shown to be caused by drift for short incident wavelengths and relative surge motion between the disks for longer incident waves. The model is based on slope-sliding theory for the wave-induced disk motions and rigid-body collisions. It is shown to predict collision frequencies and velocities accurately for intermediate–long incident wavelengths. Incorporating drift and wave scattering forces into the model is shown to capture the collision behaviours for short incident wavelengths.
History
Publication title
Physics of Fluids
Volume
29
Article number
127102
Number
127102
Pagination
1-13
ISSN
1070-6631
Department/School
Australian Maritime College
Publisher
American Institute of Physics
Place of publication
USA
Rights statement
Copyright 2017 The Authors. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. The following article appeared in Physics of Fluids and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5003310