A higher order FEM for time-domain hydroelastic analysis of large floating bodies in an inhomogeneous shallow water environment

© 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. The study of wave action on large, elastic floating bodies has received considerable attention, finding applications in both geophysics and marine engineering problems. In this context, a higher order finite-element method (FEM) for the numerical simulation of the transient response of thin, floating bodies in shallow water wave conditions is presented. The hydroelastic initial-boundary value problem, in an inhomogeneous environment, characterized by bathymetry and plate thickness variation, is analysed for two configurations: (i) a freely floating strip modelling an ice floe or a very large floating structure and (ii) a semi-fixed floating beam representing an ice shelf or shore fast ice, both under long-wave forcing. The variational formulation of these problems is derived, along with the energy conservation principle and the weak solution stability estimates. A special higher order FEM is developed and applied to the calculation of the numerical solution. Results are presented and compared against established methodologies, thus validating the present method and illustrating its numerical efficiency. Furthermore, theoretical results concerning the energy conservation principle are verified, providing a valuable insight into the physical phenomenon investigated