Wave drift force in a two-layer fluid of finite depth

Abstract

Based on the momentum and energy conservation principles, a compact calculation formula is analytically derived for the wave-drift force on a 2-D body floating in a two-layer fluid of finite depth. In a two-layer fluid, two different wave modes (the surface-wave mode with longer wavelength and the internal-wave mode with shorter wavelength) exist not only in the incident wave but also in the body-scattered wave, and these wave characteristics are properly incorporated in the obtained formula. It is noted that, unlike the single-layer case, the wave-drift force can be negative in the incident wave of surface-wave mode, if the transmitted wave with internal-wave mode is large. Numerical computations are implemented for a Lewis-form body by means of the boundary-integral-equation method with Green’s function for the two-layer fluid problem. The effects of density ratio, interface position, and body motions on the wave-drift force are studied, and some important features are found for two-layer fluids.