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A theoretical approach was applied to study the vibration of simple-supported submerged horizontal plate. The derived analytical solution was used to determine natural frequencies for a horizontal plate vibrating in fluid. The investigations were conducted for a very wide range of material density and elasticity modulus covering all materials used in engineering practice. Analysis shows that plate vibration frequency decreases with increasing plate width and draft, and decreases with decreasing plate thickness. Moreover, the results show that a substantial effect on vibration of submerged plate has mass of water above plate. The results also show that plate vibration frequency decreases with increasing plate material density and decreases with decreasing elasticity modulus. The dominant factors affecting the vibration of the submerged plate are the plate width, the plate thickness, and elasticity modulus. For moderate and low values of elasticity modulus, vibration frequency is becoming lower than frequency of water waves. This is very important because wave frequencies overlap with the natural plate vibration frequencies, which may lead to resonance and failure of a structure. The problem is that the overlap of plate vibration frequencies and wave frequencies occurs for very wide range of wave and plate parameters. Laboratory experiments confirm theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A semi-analytical solution to an advection–diffusion equation is coupled with a nonlinear wavemaker model to investigate the effect of strong nonlinearity on wave-induced mixing. The comparisons with weakly nonlinear model predictions reveal that in the case of waves of higher steepness, enhanced mixing affects the subsurface layer of the water column. A fully nonlinear model captures the neglected higher-order terms from a weakly nonlinear solution and provides a reliable estimation of the time-mean velocity field. The corrected wave-induced mass-transport velocity leads to improved estimates of subsurface mixing intensity and ocean surface temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of the interaction of waves with a serpent-type wave energy converter was investigated, and a novel 3D analytical solution was derived. The optimal parameters of the energy converter were derived for the first time from wave energy principles. The results show that the wave power captured by the device increases with increasing wave lengths until a maximum and then decreases. The efficiency increases with decreasing stiffness of the device in shallow and intermediate waters. In deep water, the efficiency increases with increasing stiffness until a local maximum and then decreases. Moreover, the efficiency increases with the increasing mass of the device in shallow and intermediate waters. In deep water, the efficiency of a converter decreases with the increasing mass of the device. An original approach to determine the optimal parameters of a device for given wave conditions was derived. The derived analytical formula shows that the top efficiency level of power capturing cannot exceed 50%. This is the theoretical maximum for this type of converter. The power take-off optimization analysis also identifies the spectrum of wave conditions for which the efficiency of the generator is close to the maximum. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted in a hydraulic laboratory to verify the model. The comparisons of the recorded data with the analytical solution show a very good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant wave height (H s) is a critical parameter in the design, operation, and maintenance of nearshore and offshore wind and wave farms. In this study, the original pyramid neural network (PNN) was introduced and applied to predict H s for North Sea renewable energy farms. The performance of PNN was compared with state-of-the-art algorithms. The results show that the machine learning (ML) models trained by the network datasets can accurately predict Hs at any point of nearshore or offshore energy farms, significantly reducing wave monitoring costs. The PNN models predict H s with high accuracy. The results predicted by PNN, with SRMSE of 0.256 and R 2 of 0.873, are more accurate than the corresponding results obtained by the deep neural network (DNN) model, which show that PNNs with their far simpler structures and lower number of parameters are attractive alternatives for complex and time-consuming DNN models. The ensemble of regular models, with SRMSE of 0.247, is ranked as the most accurate method. The results also show that the applied state-of-the-art algorithms including MLR, SNN, DNN, ANFIS, and SVR models predict non-physical negative values of H s. The PNNs developed in this study predict H s with positive values. Moreover, the analysis shows that the scatter of the results obtained by the derived nonlinear models is less pronounced than the scatter of corresponding results obtained by other methods. The results also show that to evaluate the performance of nonlinear ML methods for large datasets, the analysis of standard statistical indices is not sufficient. For large datasets standard statistical indices provide inadequate or insufficient information and additional calculations, and statistical analysis are required. • The pyramid neural network (PNN) was introduced. • The performance of PNN was analyzed in predicting significant wave height (H s) for North Sea renewable energy farms. • The PNN with fewer unknown parameters has the potential to deliver results even superior to those of a deep neural network. • Even the trained models can predict the H s of neighboring farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical model is derived to investigate the effect of breaking wave shape on impact load on a monopile structure. The derived model combines potential flow model with a Navier-Stokes/VOF solution. The analysis indicates that the breaking wave impact on a monopile structure results in an extremely rapid increase of pressure to high amplitudes. The peak impact pressure occurs in the region below the overturning wave jet. The breaking wave impact leads to extremely high slamming forces. It is observed that the slamming coefficient corresponding to the peak impact force approaches 2π. The area directly affected by the impact force is much higher than the impact area considered in engineering practice. Moreover, the analysis shows that the vertical load distribution is far more realistic than a rectangular shape distribution commonly applied in engineering practice. The results also show that the parameters of the rectangular shape distribution applied in engineering practice are complex function of the breaking wave shape and cannot be uniquely defined beforehand. This is because the vertical load distribution strongly depends on breaking wave shape and it is difficult to uniquely approximate such a complex load distribution by a rectangle. The derived results are compared with experimental data from laboratory experiments on irregular breaking wave loads on a monopile structure. Numerical results are in reasonable agreement with experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the research focused on linear and nonlinear wave generation and propagation in a deepwater towing tank equipped with a single flap-type wavemaker of variable draft. The problem of wave generation and propagation has been theoretically formulated and solved by applying an analytical method; linear and nonlinear solutions were obtained. The linear solution has been verified experimentally. The laboratory experiments confirmed that a linear model can be applied to predict the generation and propagation of water waves of low steepness. However, according to the analysis, the discrepancies between wave profiles predicted by applying the linear and nonlinear models rapidly increases with increasing wave steepness. Additionally, the secondary phenomena which occur in the towing tank, including: disintegration of wave profile, wave reflections from the beach and wave damping, were analyzed. Knowledge on the nonlinear processes and phenomena is essential for modeling the environmental conditions during tests carried out to secure the safety of the naval and offshore constructions. The theoretical formulation was derived and the solution was obtained by the Institute of Hydroengineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences IBW PAN while the experimental research was carried out in Ship Hydromechanics Division of the Ship Design and Research Centre CTO S.A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of impact pressure distribution on a monopole structure excited by irregular breaking waves is investigated. The analysis is performed by applying a numerical model that combines potential flow model with a Navier-Stokes/VOF solution. The temporal pressure distribution is analysed for two breaking wave cases characterized by the significant difference in the steepness of the wave front. The peak impact pressures are observed in the region below the overturning wave jet where the pressure increases rapidly resulting in a peak value of the slamming coefficient equal to Cs=2π. The vertical load distribution provided by the derived model is more realistic than a rectangular shape distribution applied in engineering practice. This is because the vertical load distribution strongly depends on breaking wave shape and it is difficult to uniquely approximate such a load distribution by a rectangle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freak waves are unique phenomena that appear unexpectedly on the ocean surface. These waves are not only a danger to fishermen and yachtsmen, but are also capable of damaging large vessels and offshore and coastal structures. The available field measurements that provide insight into the origin and physics of freak waves are very limited. The main objective of the present study was to analyze a unique set of wave data comprising 19,025 wind-wave records from the southern Baltic Sea to provide information on the occurrence, parameters, and prevailing conditions of the formation of freak waves. The complex nature of freak waves was investigated by obtaining spectral and statistical parameters of freak-wave-prone sea states using a wide set of tools. The study revealed a large number of freak-type waves, including waves over 12 m high. The study indicates that these hazardous waves may even exceed 20 m during severe storms in the Baltic Sea. Multi-point wind-wave measurements are needed to provide more information about the physics of freak waves and to eventually develop a prediction or warning system to avoid casualties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical investigations supported by a series of original laboratory experiments are conducted to study a wave-induced vertical mixing process. The derived semi-analytical solution is very efficient and is applied to predict the effects of water waves on the temperature changes and the evolution of temperature profiles. The results indicate that waves increase a mixing process. The rate of change of the temperature is higher when waves contributed to mixing process and this process increases with increasing the wavelength to water depth ratio. The analysis indicates that for typical ocean waves the contribution of water waves to mixing may be several orders of magnitude higher than a corresponding contribution arising from the classical diffusion process. This implies a need to conduct more theoretical studies and experimental investigation on the effect of water waves on mixing processes. A series of original laboratory experiments were conducted in the insulated wave flume to verify the derived model. The comparisons show a reasonable agreement between predicted and measured temperature profiles. A reasonable agreement between theoretical results and experimental data is observed for the whole considered range of initial temperature distributions. The comparisons indicate that the model is applicable even to cases when gradients in temperature distributions over water depth are fairly high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wave-induced inundation in coastal zones is a serious problem for residents. Accurate prediction of wave run-up height is a complex phenomenon in coastal engineering. In this study, several machine learning (ML) models are developed to simulate wave run-up height. The developed methods are based on optimization techniques employing the group method of data handling (GMDH). The invasive weed optimization (IWO), firefly algorithm (FA), teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO), harmony search (HS), and differential evolution (DE) meta-heuristic optimization algorithms are embedded with the GMDH to yield better feasible optimization. Preliminary results indicate that the developed ML models are robust tools for modeling the wave run-up height. All ML models' accuracies are higher than empirical relations. The obtained results show that employing heuristic methods enhances the accuracy of the standard GMDH model. As such, the FA, IWO, DE, TLBO, and HS improve the RMSE criterion of the standard GMDH by the rate of 47.5%, 44.7%, 24.1%, 41.1%, and 34.3%, respectively. The GMDH-FA and GMDH-IWO are recommended for applications in coastal engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the experimental test setup and measurement method of hydrodynamic force generated on the rotating cylinder (rotor) under uniform flow including the free surface effect. The experimental test setup was a unique construction installed in the flume tank equipped with advanced flow generating and measuring systems. The test setup consisted of a bearing mounted platform with rotor drive and sensors measuring the hydrodynamic force. The low length to diameter ratio cylinders were selected as models of bow rotor rudders of a shallow draft river barge. The rotor dynamics was tested for the rotational speeds up to 550 rpm and water current velocity up to 0.85 m/s. The low aspect ratio of the cylinder and free surface effect had significant impacts on the phenomena influencing the generated hydrodynamic force. The effects of the rotor length to diameter ratio, rotational velocity to flow velocity ratio, and the Reynolds number on the lift force were analyzed. The validation of the computational model against experimental results is presented. The results show a similar trend of results for the simulation and experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]