Fluid–structure interaction during the impact of a cylindrical shell on a thin layer of water

A two-dimensional unsteady analysis of an elastic circular cylindrical shell that enters a thin layer of an ideal incompressible liquid is considered. The cylinder initially touches the liquid free surface at a single point and then penetrates the liquid layer at a constant vertical velocity. The problem is coupled because the liquid flow, the shape of the elastic shell and the geometry of the contact region between the body and the liquid must be determined simultaneously. The flow region is subdivided into four complementary regions that exhibit different properties: the region beneath the entering body surface, the jet root, the spray jet, and the outer region. A complete solution is obtained by matching the solutions within these four subdomains. The structural analysis is based on the normal-mode method. Strain-time histories of the inner surface of the cylinder are of particular interest. In the case of a very flexible shell three distinct regimes of the impact process were found. For a high impact velocity the lower part of the shell flattens and the shell does not enter the water. For a moderate impact velocity the shell reaches the bottom and an effect of “fluid capture” may occur. For a low impact velocity the shell penetrates the liquid, but the size of the contact region decreases before the shell reaches the bottom. This behaviour corresponds to exit or “reflection” of the shell from the water layer.