A Numerical Investigation of a Corrugated Wedge Impacting Water

The load assessment in water entry problems in- volving complex geometries is generally a quite chal- lenging task for numerical solvers. Indeed, the oc- currence of large free-surface deformation, air cush- ioning and possible compressibility effects strains the standard CFD codes to their limits. In the present work, an enhanced Smoothed Particle Hy- drodynamics (SPH) model is adopted to evaluate the pressures acting on the surface of a corrugated wedge impacting water and the numerical outcomes are compared to experimental data. Specifically, the water entry of a Mark III type panel (a corrugated insulation panel) adopted in LNG tanks is consid- ered. Experimental data involving wet drop tests have been provided by HHI. The pressures during the impact were measured at several points along the wedge surface. For comparison purposes the wet drop test was also performed with a flat sided wedge. An impact angle of 4 o was considered in both test cases.