Wave-induced collisions of thin floating disks

Abstract

Collisions between two thin floating disks forced by regular water waves are studied for a range of wave amplitudes and lengths, using laboratory wave basin experiments and a mathematical model. Three collision regimes are identified from the experiments in terms of collision frequency and strength, and the collisions are shown to be caused by drift for short incident wavelengths and relative surge motion between the disks for longer incident waves. The model is based on slope-sliding theory for the wave-induced disk motions and rigid-body collisions. It is shown to predict collision frequencies and velocities accurately for intermediate–long incident wavelengths. Incorporating drift and wave scattering forces into the model is shown to capture the collision behaviours for short incident wavelengths.