Resonance and response of fluid-filled membrane in gravity waves

A numerical model is developed to investigate the resonance and response ch aracteristics of a floating fluid-filled membrane in gravity waves. The mod el consists of three components simulating, respectively, the membrane resp onse and the motions of the fluids inside and outside the membrane. The gov erning integral equation for membrane deformation is derived in variational form based on the principle of virtual work and contains all the terms con sistent with a linear strain-displacement relation, potential flow solution s of the internal and external fluids are obtained by two boundary element models, which are coupled to the finite element model of the membrane. Comp arison of the computed results with published numerical and experimental da ta indicates favorable agreement. An average response amplitude operator is defined to identify the resonance frequencies, at which the response patte rns are examined. The present paper provides a complete linear solution of the fluid-membrane interaction problem and new results illustrating the eff ect of membrane elasticity on the resonant response. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scie nce Ltd. All rights reserved.