The wave field scattered by a vertical cylinder in a narrow wave tank

Abstract

When a plane wave is incident on a fixed vertical cylinder standing in a narrow wave tank, the scattered wave field will be influenced by reflections from the side walls. This situation is investigated using an approximate solution for scattering by a cylinder of arbitrary cross-section derived under the fundamental assumptions that the cylinder diameter is much less than the tank width and the wavelength. The solution is used to examine in detail the wave field around the cylinder and to improve understanding of many of the tank-confinement effects observed in other work. Particular attention is paid to the hydrodynamic forces and pressures on the cylinder surface and situations where the tank walls may have a particularly significant effect are highlighted.