Analysis of three-dimensional and hydroelastic effects on high-velocity water entry of a rectangular plate
Daosheng Ning, Shan Wang, C. Guedes Soares
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the influence of three-dimensional (3D) and hydroelastic effects on the slamming characteristics of a rectangular plate during high-speed water entry. The water entry of a rigid plate impacting a calm water surface at constant velocity and an initial pitch angle is simulated using the open-source software OpenFOAM, combined with the overset mesh technique and the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method. A two-way fluid–structure interaction (FSI) model for an elastic plate is further developed by coupling OpenFOAM, preCICE, and CalculiX. The results indicate that the wetted area in 2D cases is significantly larger than in 3D cases, reaching up to 2.8 times greater for rigid bodies and 1.9 times greater for elastic bodies. A smaller initial pitch angle reduces discrepancies between the 2D and 3D results. In 2D cases, pressure peaks occur earlier and are higher. At two representative pressure monitoring locations, the 3D pressure is approximately 22 % lower than the 2D pressure at the forward location and around 32 % lower near the centre. In elastic-body cases, deformation delays the pressure peak due to partial absorption of impact energy. Compared to the 3D model, the 2D model substantially overestimates the structural strain and displacement, and also predicts an earlier structural response.