Assessing large hydroelastic parameter spaces through a table-top Faraday experiment

Conference Paper (2026)
Author(s)

H. Pot (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

B. Christiaens (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

P. Wellens (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

S. Schreier (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

J. Westerweel (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

Research Group
Ship Hydromechanics
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Research Group
Ship Hydromechanics
Pages (from-to)
339-348
Publisher
NTNU
ISBN (print)
978-82-691120-6-1
Event
10th international Conference on Hydroelasticity in Marine Technology, 2026 (2026-06-16 - 2026-06-18), Sverresborg Trøndelag Folkemuseum, Trondheim, Norway
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Abstract

This study investigates the influence of stiffness on the hydroelastic wave-structure interactions of floating sheets, a concept for offshore photovoltaics. We propose an experimental method in which we can vary models, amplitudes and frequencies effortless, since conventional experimental methods have limitations, especially for large out-of-plane deformations. Moreover, green water effects which often occur for steep waves are eliminated with this setup. This study investigates the applicability of linear hydroelastic theory with the measurements on two floating membranes with different thickness. The measured hydroelastic wavelengths are for both membranes larger than the predictions by the theoretical hydroelastic dispersion. We find that the measurements of both thicknesses can be matched if an in-plane tension is added to the linear hydroelastic dispersion relation. This study demonstrates that the measurements are not well predicted by the linear theory and the stresses in the structure are most likely underestimated by this prediction.