Numerical simulation of freak wave generation and evolution process based on SPH method

Abstract

With the occurrence of maritime accidents all over the world, the study of extreme waves has been promoted. These extreme waves are often called freak waves in the scientific community. At present, a variety of mechanisms are proposed to explain freak waves in the marine environment, such as directional focusing, dispersive focusing, and nonlinear modulation instability. At first, a hydrodynamic model is established based on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method in the C# environment, and the regular wave generated by the piston wave generator is numerically simulated. Secondly, the simulation results were analyzed and visualized by using Paraview software, compared with physical experimental datas to verify the reliability of this model. Then, the generation and evolution of freak waves were numerically simulated through the movement of piston wave generators on both sides of a 2D numerical wave flume, and the influence of frequency and amplitude was analyzed by using directional focusing. The results show that if the frequency is smaller and the amplitude is larger, it is more likely to generate freak waves and wave-breaking phenomena. This study lays a foundation for the research of freak waves in the future.