Wave diffraction from multiple truncated cylinders of arbitrary cross sections

Abstract Many marine structures are supported by piles or caissons which, from a mathematical point of view, can be assimilated to an array of truncated cylinders of arbitrary cross sections. The focus of this paper is such an array subjected to harmonic waves of small steepness. We develop an analytic method based on linear potential flow theory to solve the diffraction problem and evaluate the excitation forces and moments acting on each cylinder. The water domain is divided into the interior regions below each cylinder and an exterior region extending to infinity in the horizontal plane. A series of eigen-functions are applied to express the velocity potential in each region. The Fourier series method combined with the eigen-function expansion matching method is used to satisfy the wetted surface body conditions and continuity conditions between adjacent regions. The analytic model is validated by comparing its results with numerical modelling results and published data. It is then applied to two truncated cylinders with caisson cross sections, and results are given for the excitation forces and moments on each cylinder for different values of incident wave direction and spacing between the cylinders, and for different configurations.