Application of a variational method to the vertical hydrodynamic impact of axisymmetric bodies

The application of a desingularized variational numerical method to the vertical hydrodynamic impact problem of axisymmetric bodies is addressed here within the so-called Generalized von Karman Model (GvKM). A weak formulation is used and the velocity potential is numerically approximated in a Sobolev space. Trial functions are conveniently written as finite summations of elementary potentials. A main advantage of the proposed technique is the fact that a first-order error in the velocity potential computation implies a second-order error in the added mass value. Good agreement in added mass calculations is verified for a sphere and for an oblate spheroid in comparison with results obtained from WAMIT ® .