Significance of relative velocity in the estimation of drag force of a tethered spherical float

Abstract

In the present study, a tethered spherical float undergoing oscillatory motion in regular waves is analysed. Float velocity is computed through dynamical equation of motion and particle velocity using linear wave theory. The results show that variation of particle velocity with respect to wave period, wave height or water depth is small compared to the variation of float velocity with respect to the same parameters. The results further indicate that the difference between float velocity and particle velocity is considerable and, in such cases, the relative velocity instead of the particle velocity has to be considered for drag force or drag power estimation. However, it is suggested that float velocity must be higher than the particle velocity in order to use relative velocity in drag force or drag power estimation.