Hydrodynamic loads at the early stage of a floating wedge impact

The hydrodynamic loads induced in the early stage of an impulsive vertical motion of an initially floating wedge are investigated with the help of a small time expansion procedure. It is found that, for bodies having pronounced flares, flow details about the intersection between the solid boundary and the free surface signicantly affect the pressure distribution all along the wetted part of the body and then the total hydrodynamic force.