Fundamentals and Reliability of Offshore Structure Hydrodynamics

The FROTH project is a close collaboration between five universities (Plymouth University - PU, University of Oxford, The Manchester Metropolitan University - MMU, City University London - City and University of Bath - UoB) working together to combine and apply their expertise to different aspects of the problem. The aim is to investigate the physics of hydrodynamic impact loading through a carefully integrated programme of numerical modelling and physical experiments at large scale. Open source numerical code will be developed to simulate the experiments to be carried out in the new national wave and current facility at the PU. The experiments are designed to investigate the influences described above and target three groups of experiments, namely: the impact of a falling block on aerated fluid; multi-directional wave impact with a floating block; wave impact with a rigid and elastic wall. Each of the experiments will be reproduced using the numerical codes, for comparisons, validation and detailed further investigation of the specific cases.