Publication Date:
2016-01-08
Description:
A numerical study of fully nonlinear waves propagating through a two-dimensional deep fluid covered by a floating flexible plate is presented. The nonlinear model proposed by Toland (Arch. Rat. Mech. Anal., vol. 289, 2008, pp. 325-362) is used to formulate the pressure exerted by the thin elastic sheet. The symmetric solitary waves previously found by Guyenne & Pǎrǎu (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 713, 2012, pp. 307-329) and Wang et al. (IMA J. Appl. Maths, vol. 78, 2013, pp. 750-761) are briefly reviewed. A new class of hydroelastic solitary waves which are non-symmetric in the direction of wave propagation is then computed. These asymmetric solitary waves have a multi-packet structure and appear via spontaneous symmetry-breaking bifurcations. We study in detail the stability properties of both symmetric and asymmetric solitary waves subject to longitudinal perturbations. Some moderate-amplitude symmetric solitary waves are found to be stable. A series of numerical experiments are performed to show the non-elastic behaviour of two interacting stable solitary waves. The large response generated by a localised steady pressure distribution moving at a speed slightly below the minimum of the phase speed (called the transcritical regime in the literature) is also examined. The direct numerical simulation of the fully nonlinear equations with a single load reveals that in this range the generated waves are of finite amplitude. This includes a perturbed depression solitary wave, which is qualitatively similar to the large response observed in experiments. The excitations of stable elevation solitary waves are achieved by applying multiple loads moving with a speed in the transcritical regime. © 2016 Cambridge University Press.
Print ISSN:
0022-1120
Electronic ISSN:
1469-7645
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
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