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This work concerns the numerical generation of stable solitary waves by using a piston-type wave maker and the propagation characteristics of a solitary wave in a step-type flume. The numerical generation of solitary waves was performed by solving N-S (Navier–Stokes) equations on the open source CFD (computational fluid dynamics) platform OpenFOAM. To this end, a new module of dynamic boundary conditions was programmed and can be applied to prescribe the horizontal linear motion of a paddle. Two kinds of paddle motions, based on both the first-order and ninth-order solutions of solitary waves, were first determined. The time history of paddle motion was restored in a file, which was then used as an input for the virtual wave maker. The solitary wave in water with a constant depth was generated by both numerical simulation and experiment in the wave flume installed with a piston wave maker. The results show that the amplitudes of trailing waves based on the first-order solution are larger than those based on the ninth-order solution and that wave height based on the first-order solution decays more quickly. The numerical wave profiles are in good agreement with the experimental ones. The propagation characteristics of a solitary wave in a step-type flume was numerically investigated as well. It was found that a part of the solitary wave is reflected when the solitary wave passes the step due to blockage effects, and the forward main wave collapses quickly when it enters shallow water. This work presents a very successful numerical study of stable solitary wave generation and reveals the phenomena when a solitary wave propagates in a step-type flume.

In naval and ocean engineering, accurate simulation of incident waves is essential for predicting the motion response of offshore structures. Traditional wave generation methods, such as piston- and flap-type wave makers, often face challenges in accurately replicating the orbital motion of water particles beneath the free surface, which can limit their applicability in high-fidelity simulations. In this study, a numerical investigation is conducted to compare the performance of piston-type, flap-type, and double-flap-type wave makers using STAR-CCM+2310(18.06.006-R8). The influence of water depth on wave height accuracy is evaluated across different measurement locations within a numerical wave tank. Theoretical analysis of wave generation mechanisms is incorporated to clarify the applicability limits of linear theory and to better interpret the numerical results. Results indicate that, under the tested two-dimensional CFD conditions, the double-flap-type wave maker tended to provide closer agreement with theoretical predictions, particularly at greater depths, compared with conventional methods. These findings suggest potential advantages of the double-flap configuration and provide insights for refining wave generation techniques in numerical and experimental wave tanks, thereby supporting more reliable hydrodynamic analyses of floating structures.

The wave impact behavior on any structural body needs to be understood for the sustainability of the structure and even to harness the energy from the wave. An oscillating piston-type wave generator with different channel lengths ranging from 4 to 10 m and water heights ranging from 0.3 to 0.7 m is considered. For wave propagation, 2D numerical simulations are performed using the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and the realizable k–ε model, with the VOF method also used to track the wave surfaces. Simulation results exhibit that the shorter channel length and the smaller wave height make the irregular shape of the wave propagating along the channel. With the increasing of channel lengths and wave heights, the wave patterns do, nevertheless, take on regular forms, i.e., sinusoidal patterns. It is also discovered that the initial wave covers a longer channel length than the propagating wave. The wave impact characteristics are obtained from the simulation results for the first wave which is impacting the vertical wall. It is found that wave impact covers the wider space on the vertical wall for a shorter channel length with a smaller water height. In addition, the simulation results show that the wave's impact on a vertical wall exhibits greater pressure when impacting upwardly than when impacting downwardly. In fact, the vertical velocity component of the wave during the upward impact on the vertical wall is 1.5 times higher than that of the downward impact. Simulation results are validated with the available literature.

A numerical wave tank equipped with a piston type wave-maker is presented for long-duration simulations of long waves in shallow water. Both wave maker and tank are modelled using the nonlinear shallow water equations, with motions of the numerical piston paddle accomplished via a linear mapping technique. Three approaches are used to increase computational efficiency and accuracy. First, the model satisfies the exact conservation property (C-property), a stepping stone towards properly balancing each term in the governing equation. Second, a high-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) method is used to reduce accumulation of truncation error. Third, a cut-off algorithm is implemented to handle contaminated digits arising from round-off error. If not treated, such errors could prevent a numerical scheme from satisfying the exact C-property in long-duration simulations. Extensive numerical tests are performed to examine the well-balanced property, high order accuracy, and shock-capturing ability of the present scheme. Correct implementation of the wave paddle generator is verified by comparing numerical predictions against analytical solutions of sinusoidal, solitary, and cnoidal waves. In all cases, the model gives satisfactory results for small-amplitude, low frequency waves. Error analysis is used to investigate model limitations and derive a user criterion for long wave generation by the model.