An analysis of second-order wave forces on floating bodies by using a higher-order boundary element method

Abstract

The wave diffraction and radiation problem is studied numerically by using a higher-order boundary element method. The convergence of the higher-order boundary element method is tested systematically for bodies of different shapes. For the second-order force, particular attention is paid to the contribution of the second-order potential, following the line of Molin's approach. For numerical evaluation, the free surface is divided into three subregions; inner, intermediate and outer ones. In the inner region, the integral is evaluated numerically by using higher-order boundary elements. In the intermediate region, semi-analytic form is constructed with the help of eigen functions. In the outer domain, the analytic solution is available. This subdivision scheme reduces the numerical burden remarkably.