Numerical Simulation of Cushioning Problem for Blunt Bodies Using Boundary Element Method

Induced air pressure and resulting free surface profile due to air cushioning layer is studied. The study is mainly focused on 2D blunt circular bodies with constant downward speed. The problem is first solved for the air flow between the body and the free surface of the water. Then the results are employed to solve the problem for the water problem, numerically. Both air and water problem are assumed to be governed by Laplace potential equation. Depending on the induced pressure and velocity of the escaping air flow from cushioning layer, compressibility of the air is also included in the modeling. Gravitational acceleration is also included in the model. An iterative boundary element method is used for numerical solution of both air and water problems. Instantaneous pressure distribution and free surface profile are evaluated for different bodies. The results of calculation for large blunt bodies show that inviscid potential method can fairly approximate the problem for large blunt bodies. Additionally, the behavior of the air pressure for the very blunt body is impulsive and the magnitude of the peak pressure is in order of impact pressure of water entry. The obtained results are compared with analytical method. The comparison shows that as the bluntness of a body increases, the better agreement is concluded.