PHYSICAL REVIEW E 71, 066303 共2005兲

Unsteady free-surface waves due to a submerged body moving in a viscous fluid

Dong-Qiang Lu
Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai University, Yanchang Road, Shanghai 200072, China

Allen T. Chwang*
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
共Received 28 August 2004; published 9 June 2005兲

Unsteady viscous free-surface waves generated by a three-dimensional submerged body moving in an

incompressible fluid of infinite depth are investigated analytically. It is assumed that the body experiences a
Heaviside step change in velocity at the initial instant. Two categories of the velocity change, 共i兲 from zero to
a constant and 共ii兲 from a constant to zero, will be analyzed. The flow is assumed to be laminar and the
submerged body is mathematically represented by an Oseenlet. The Green functions for the unbounded un-
steady Oseen flows are derived. The solutions in closed integral form for the wave profiles are given. By
employing Lighthill’s two-stage scheme, the asymptotic representations of free-surface waves in the far wake
for large Reynolds numbers are derived. It is shown that the effects of viscosity and submergence depth on the
free-surface wave profiles are respectively expressed by the exponential decay factors. Furthermore, the un-
steady wave system due to the suddenly starting body consists of two families of steady-state waves and two
families of nonstationary waves, which are confined within a finite region. As time increases, the waves move
away from the body and the finite region extends to an infinite V-shaped region. It is found that the nonsta-
tionary waves are the transient response to the suddenly started motion of the body. The waves due to a
suddenly stopping body consist of a transient component only, which vanish as time approaches infinity.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.71.066303 PACS number共s兲: 47.15.Gf

I. INTRODUCTION the unsteady free-surface waves generated by a simple

The generation of waves due to a moving body on or
below the free surface has been investigated by many re-
searchers in view of its practical importance and theoretical
interest. The general mathematical problem posed in terms of
the well-known Navier-Stokes equations is extremely diffi-
cult to solve. Even if the effect of nonlinear convective terms
can be neglected, to solve the resultant linearized equations
is still a formidable task. Of the few analytical approaches
available for solving linear problems, one is the singularity
method, which originates from the method of Green func-
tions for linear partial differential equations, as discussed by
Chwang and Wu 关1兴, Clauser 关2兴, and Dabros 关3兴. By the
superposition principle for linear systems, a body of arbitrary
shape can be simulated, at least theoretically, by a discrete or
continuous distribution of fundamental singularities while
the flow field can be represented by the corresponding dis-
tribution of fundamental solutions. The type and distribution
of fundamental singularities to be used depend both on the
geometry of the moving body and on the nature of the flow.
Therefore, the mathematical formulation for a body-induced
flow may be characterized by a fundamental singularity, and
it is essential to seek the corresponding fundamental solution
as the first step to solve the full problem. Based on the po-
tential theories, analytical solutions for steady free-surface
waves generated by moving singularities in inviscid fluids
are well developed 关4,5兴. The mathematical formulation for
*Corresponding author. Fax: 共⫹852兲 2858 5415; electronic ad-
dress: atchwang@hkucc.hku.hk
source suddenly brought into existence at time t = 0 and mov-
ing with a constant velocity in an inviscid fluid was given by
Wehansen and Laitone 关4兴 and the corresponding asymptotic
expression for transient free-surface waves was provided by
Liu and Tao 关6兴. The asymptotic expression for transient
free-surface waves due to a simple source suddenly stopped
at time t = 0 in an inviscid fluid was provided by Lu and
Chwang 关7兴. It can be seen from Liu and Tao’s solution and
Lu and Chwang’s solution that the transient inviscid waves
do not tend to zero as time goes to infinity, which is incom-
patible with the physical reality. In addition, the effect of the
laminar far wake on the free-surface waves for a body mov-
ing in a viscous fluid has not been considered by the poten-
tial theories.
It is well known that all fluids are naturally viscous. To
obtain a better description of free-surface waves in a real
fluid, Wu and Messick 关8兴 considered the effect of viscosity
on ship waves for two-dimensional cases. Based on an
Oseen-type approximation, Cumberbatch 关9兴 studied the ef-
fect of viscosity on three-dimensional steady ship waves.
Lurye 关10兴 developed an integral formulation for the interac-
tion of steady free-surface waves with viscous wakes. Brard
关11兴 studied the effect of wake and vorticity on the ship
waves. Based on the Oseenlet solution, Dugan 关12兴 and Am-
micht 关13兴 analytically studied the drag and lift exerted on a
submerged plate moving near the free-surface of a viscous
fluid without and with the surface tension respectively. Lurye
关14兴 and Chan and Chwang 关15,16兴 obtained analytical solu-
tions for the three-dimensional steady viscous waves due to
various Oseenlets and Oseen doublets. Recently, Liu and Tao
关17兴 and Lu 关18兴 analytically studied the free-surface waves
and far wakes generated by a floating body in a viscous fluid

1539-3755/2005/71共6兲/066303共8兲/$23.00 066303-1 ©2005 The American Physical Society

D.-Q. LU AND A. T. CHWANG
of infinite depth, in which the floating body is modeled as a
surface pressure point. Starting from Lurye’s formulation, Lu
关19兴 also reconsidered the steady wave-wake interaction
problem in a viscous fluid of infinite depth and provided the
full asymptotic expansions of wave profiles in the far wake
for large Reynolds numbers, from which the viscous correc-
tion for the wave profile is explicitly seen. The validity of the
asymptotic approximation has been verified by Lu 关20兴 with
a numerical analysis. The investigation on viscous phenom-
ena has gradually become an expanding branch in the field of
free surface flows, as stated by Tyvand 关21兴. The aforemen-
tioned works were based on the assumption that all motions
attain a steady state. However, in many situations the body
may experience an unsteady motion. Based on the unsteady
Stokes equations, Maxey and Riley 关22兴 obtained an analyti-
cal solution for fluid motion resulting from a sphere starting
from rest and having an impulsive velocity 关␦共t兲 , 0 , 0兴, where
␦共 兲 is the Dirac delta function. Pozrikidis 关23兴 derived an
explicit expression for the three-dimensional oscillatory
Stokeslet. It is believed that the convolution-integral formu-
lation of a transient Oseenlet given by Price and Tan 关24兴 and
a series of generalized unsteady Oseenlets derived by Chan
and Chwang 关25兴 and Shu and Chwang 关26兴 are useful to
study the unsteady flow fields associated with a body maneu-
vering in an unbounded viscous fluid. For the flow in a
bounded fluid, Shu and Chwang 关27兴 considered the short-
time slamming effect on the surface waves of a viscous fluid.
Based on the formulation and methodology developed by
Shu and Chwang 关28兴 for transient Marangoni waves due to
the impulsive motion of a submerged singularity, Lu and
Chwang 关29兴 derived the wave front and wave profiles gen-
erated by a surface-piercing singularity in three dimensions.
On the other hand, Liu and Tao 关6兴 studied the viscous free-
surface waves due to a suddenly starting Oseenlet and found
a finite region of validity for the steady-state solution. Lu and
Chwang 关30兴 investigated the two-dimensional free-surface
waves due to an oscillatory Oseenlet moving in an incom-
pressible viscous fluid of infinite depth. However, analytical
solutions for the transient waves in a viscous fluid have not
been obtained and the interaction of a laminar far wake with
unsteady free-surface waves has not been fully explored,
which are of interest in the present paper.
In this paper, we analytically study the unsteady free-
surface waves generated by a point force moving in an in-
compressible viscous fluid of infinite depth. The point force,
mathematically represented by an Oseenlet, is assumed to
experience a Heaviside step change in velocity at the initial
instant. The general mathematical model for this wave-wake
interaction problem is formulated in Sec. II. The analytical
solutions for far-field waves due to a suddenly starting and
stopping Oseenlet are obtained in Secs. III and IV, respec-
tively. The physical characteristics of the unsteady viscous
waves are explicitly discussed in Sec. V. Finally, conclusions
are made in Sec. VI.
II. GENERAL MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION
The disturbed flow field and the free-surface waves due to
a point force moving along a straight line in a stationary
066303-2
PHYSICAL REVIEW E 71, 066303 共2005兲
FIG. 1. Definition of the coordinate system.
viscous incompressible fluid with a free surface shall be con-
sidered. It is assumed that the point force experiences a
Heaviside step change in velocity. Cartesian coordinates are
taken fixed on the body, as shown in Fig. 1. The x-axis is
along the straight path of the moving point while the z-axis
points vertically upward. Thus the fluid is moving at a uni-
form velocity Uex, where U is a constant and ex the unit
vector in the x direction. The disturbed flow is assumed to be
laminar.
We choose ␳U2 as a reference pressure, U2 / g as a char-
acteristic length, where ␳ is the density of the fluid and g the
gravitational acceleration. For simplicity, the velocity is non-
dimensionalized by U, the pressure by ␳U2, the distance by
U2 / g, the external force by ␳U2共U2 / g兲2, and the time by
U / g. The governing equations are the dimensionless conti-
nuity equation
⵱·u=0 共1兲
and the unsteady Oseen equations with a singular force term
⳵u ⳵u
+ = − ⵱ P + ␧ⵜ2u+F␦共x − x0兲H共t兲, 共2兲
⳵t ⳵x
where u = 共u , v , w兲 is the disturbed velocity, P the hydrody-
namic pressure, which is equal to the total pressure p minus
the hydrostatic pressure due to gravity. ␧ = ␮g / ␳U3, where ␮
is the viscosity of the fluid. F is the singular force located at
position x0 = 共0 , 0 , −h0兲, where h0 is the submergence depth.
H共 兲 is the Heaviside step function. The dimensionless pa-
rameter ␧ can be regarded as the reciprocal of the Reynolds
number with respect to the characteristic length.
For small-amplitude waves, we impose the linearized
boundary conditions at the undisturbed free surface z = 0,
⳵␩ ⳵␩
+ = w, 共3兲
⳵t ⳵x
冉 冊
⳵u ⳵w
␧ + = 0, 共4兲
⳵z ⳵x
冉 冊
⳵v ⳵w
␧ + = 0, 共5兲
⳵z ⳵ y
⳵w
p − 2␧ = 0, 共6兲
⳵z
where p = P − ␩ is the total pressure on the undisturbed free
surface z = 0, ␩ is the dimensionless elevation of the free
surface.
UNSTEADY FREE-SURFACE WAVES DUE TO A… PHYSICAL REVIEW E 71, 066303 共2005兲

When the velocity of the point force changes from zero to It is convenient to introduce a combination of the Laplace
a constant at the instant t = 0, the initial velocity and free- transform with respect to t and a Fourier transform with re-
surface wave elevation are taken to be those of the quiescent spect to x and y, for z 艋 0,

冕 冕冕
fluid case. When the velocity of the point force changes from ⬁ ⬁ ⬁
a constant to zero, the initial values are taken to be those of 关¯␩,⌽̄,V̄T兴 = e−st 关␩,⌽e−Az,VTe−Bz兴
the corresponding steady-state solutions. 0 −⬁ −⬁
−i␣x−i␤y
III. UNSTEADY VISCOUS FREE-SURFACE WAVES DUE ⫻e dxdydt, 共14a兲
TO A SUDDENLY STARTING OSEENLET
where
To simulate the free-surface flow past a moving sub-
merged body, we investigate the theoretical solution for a A共␣, ␤兲 = 冑␣2 + ␤2 , 共14b兲
free-surface flow due to a forcelet Fxex + Fzez located at x0,
where Fx is the strength of the applied drag and Fz the B共s, ␣, ␤兲 = 冑共s + i␣兲/␧ + ␣2 + ␤2 . 共14c兲
strength of the applied lift. Since the problem considered
here is an initial-boundary-value one with a singularity, we Substituting Eqs. 共14a兲–共14c兲 into boundary conditions
may regard the disturbed flow 共u , P兲 as the sum of an un- 共10兲–共13兲 and the continuity equation, we obtain a system of
bounded singular Oseen flow 共uS , PS兲, which represents the linear equations for the five unknown variables
effect of viscous wakes, and an Oseen flow 共uR , PR兲, which 共¯␩ , ⌽̄ , ūT , v̄T , w̄T兲, which can readily be solved. Upon some
represents the influence of the free surface and is regular in mathematical manipulation, the integral expression for the
the whole region. Thus, wave profile can be written as

u = uS共x,t;x0兲 + uR共x,t兲, 共7a兲

␩共x,y,t;h0兲 =
1
8 ␲ 3i
冕 冕冕
c+i⬁

c−i⬁
⬁

−⬁
⬁

−⬁
N
D
P = PS共x,t;x0兲 + PR共x,t兲. 共7b兲
⫻exp共i␣x + i␤y + st兲d␣d␤ds, 共15a兲
By taking the Laplace transform over the unsteady Oseen
equations with a singular forcing term F␦共x − x0兲␦共t兲, the where
corresponding Green function can be obtained by means of a N = − 共s + i␣ + 2␧A2兲共i␣Fx − AFz兲exp共− Ah0兲
straightforward manipulation. The solution of Eqs. 共1兲 and
共2兲 with initial conditions for a quiescent fluid in an un- + 2␧A共i␣BFx − A2Fz兲exp共− Bh0兲, 共15b兲
bounded field can be constructed as 关31兴

冕 冉 冊
t D = s共s + i␣兲关A + 共s + i␣ + 2␧A2兲2 − 4␧2A3B兴, 共15c兲
1 1 rt
uS共x,t;x0兲 = − F · 共Iⵜ2 − ⵱ ⵱ 兲 erf d␶ ,
4␲ 0 rt 2冑␧共t − ␶兲 and c is the convergence abscissa for the inverse Laplace
transform.
共8兲 The integral in Eq. 共15a兲 represents the solution for the
where rt = 储x − x0 − tex 储 , wave elevation due to a singular force, but the physical char-

冉冊
acteristics of the wave motion are not explicitly seen in this
1 1 integral. Now the task is to extract information from Eq.
PS共x,t;x0兲 = − F· ⵱ H共t兲. 共9兲
4␲ r 共15a兲. As stated by Noblesse and Chen 关32兴, the Fourier in-
tegral representation for wave profiles can formally be de-
Furthermore, we write uR = ⵱ ⌽ + VT, where ⌽共x , t兲 is a composed into a near-field nonoscillatory component and a
scalar potential function and VT共x , t兲 is a solenoidal vector. far-field wave component. The near-field component will
Therefore, we express the boundary conditions in terms of rapidly vanish as the distance from the singularity increases
⌽, VT, uS, PS at z = 0 as and will not be investigated in the present study while the
⳵␩ ⳵␩
+
⳵t ⳵x
−
⳵⌽
⳵z
冉
+ wT = wS , 冊 共10兲
far-field behavior for small ␧ is of principal physical interest.
It is noted that for small ␧, D共s , ␣ , ␤兲 in Eq. 共15c兲 has four
simple poles with respect to s,

2
⳵ 2⌽ ⳵ u T ⳵ w T
+
⳵x⳵z ⳵z
+
⳵x
=− 冉
⳵uS ⳵wS
⳵z
+
⳵x
, 冊 共11兲 s j = 共− 1兲 j+1i冑A − i␣ − 2␧A2 + O共␧3/2兲, 共j = 1,2兲,
共16a兲

2
⳵ 2⌽ ⳵ v T ⳵ w T
+
⳵ y ⳵z ⳵z
+
⳵y
=− 冉
⳵vS ⳵wS
⳵z
+
⳵y
, 冊 共12兲 s3 = − i␣ , 共16b兲

冉 冊
s4 = 0. 共16c兲
⳵⌽ ⳵⌽ ⳵ 2⌽ ⳵ w T ⳵wS
+ + ␩ + 2␧ 2 + = PS − 2␧ , 共13兲 The inversion of the Laplace transform in Eq. 共15a兲 can be
⳵t ⳵x ⳵z ⳵z ⳵z
determined by the sum of the residues of the integrand at
where 共uT , vT , wT兲 and 共uS , vS , wS兲 are the components of VT these poles. By taking a contour integration in the complex s
and uS, respectively. plane, Eq. 共15a兲 can be represented by the double integral

066303-3
D.-Q. LU AND A. T. CHWANG PHYSICAL REVIEW E 71, 066303 共2005兲

冕冕
4 ⬁ ⬁ 2
1 Nj
␩= 2
4␲ j=1
兺 −⬁ −⬁ D0
exp关i共␣x + ␤y兲兴d␣d␤ , 共17a兲 ␩S0 =−d R
兺 dmVdmSQm3/4关Fx cos M m − Qm1/2Fz sin M m兴,
m=1

where 共22兲

N j = 兩N兩s=s j , 共17b兲 2

␩S1 = − 2␧d R
兺 dmVdmSQm9/4关Fx sin M m + Qm1/2Fz cos M m兴,
m=1
D0 = 兩D兩s=0 . 共17c兲
共23兲
To obtain the asymptotic expansion of the Fourier-type

冋 冉 冊
double integral in Eq. 共17a兲, we shall employ Lighthill’s two- 2 1/4
stage scheme 关33兴, which in essence involves calculating the Qm h0
␩S2 = 2␧1/2dR 兺 dmVdmBQm3/2 Fx sin M m − + ␲/4
␣ integration by the residue theorem and the ␤ integration by m=1 冑2␧

冉 冊册
the method of steepest descents. For small ␧, D0共␣ , ␤兲 in Eq.
1/4
共17c兲 has two simple zeros with respect to ␣, Qm h0
+ ␧1/2FzQm
5/4
cos M m − , 共24兲
冑2␧
␣n = 共− 1兲n+1a0 + i␧a1 + O共␧3/2兲, 共n = 1,2兲, 共18a兲
where 2

a0共␤兲 = 关1 + 共1 + 4␤2兲1/2兴1/2/冑2, 共18b兲

␩T0 =−d R
兺 dmVdmSdmTQm3/4关Fx cos M m − Qm1/2Fz sin M m兴,
m=1

共25兲
a1共␤兲 = 4a60共2a20 − 1兲−1 . 共18c兲
2
We introduce the cylindrical coordinates 共R , ␪兲 on the
horizontal 共x , y兲 plane by x = R cos ␪, y = R sin ␪. Using the ␩T1 = − ␧dR 兺 dmVdmSdmTQm9/4关Fx共3 sin M m − sin Nm兲
m=1
residue theorem, the leading terms which contribute signifi-
cantly to the wave profile in the far field can be written as + 1/2
Qm Fz共3 cos M m − cos Nm兲兴, 共26兲

␩=
1
4

兺兺
2

2␲ j=0 n=1
冕−⬁
⬁
再 a20G jn exp关Rf n共␤兲兴
1− 2a20
+o 冉 冊冎
1
R
d␤,
␩T2 = 2␧ d 1/2 R
2

兺 dmVdmBdmTQm3/2
m=1
冋 冉 Fx sin M m −
1/4
Qm
冑2␧
h0
+ ␲/4 冊
冉 冑 冊册
0 ⬍ R cos ␪ ⬍ t, 共19a兲 1/4
Qm h0
where + ␧1/2FzQm
5/4
cos M m − , 共27兲
2␧
G jn = 兩N j兩␣=␣n , 共19b兲 and

f n共␤兲 = ␣n cos ␪ + i␤ sin ␪ .

For the second stage of Lighthill’s scheme, the method of
共19c兲 dR = 冉 2
␲R cos ␪
冊 1/2
共1 − 8 tan2 ␪兲−1/4 , 共28a兲

steepest descents should be employed for ␤ integration at

large R 关14,15,19兴. The leading term of the solution for sta-
V
dm = exp共− 4␧qm QmR cos ␪兲,
−1 3
共28b兲
tionary points of the phase function is given by 关31兴
S
dm = exp共− Qmh0兲, 共28c兲
␤ = ␤nm = 共− 1兲nqmQm1/2 tan ␪, 共n,m = 1,2兲, 共20a兲
where

qm = 2关1 + 共− 1兲m+1冑1 − 8 tan2 ␪兴−1 , 共20b兲

B
dm = exp −冉 1/4
Qm
冑2␧
h0
冊 , 共28d兲

Qm = 共qm + 1兲/2. 共20c兲

T
dm 2
= exp共− 2␧Qm t兲, 共28e兲

By means of the steepest-descents analysis and other

␲
mathematical manipulations, the formal expression for the 1/2
M m = Qm R cos ␪ − qmQm
1/2
R sin ␪ tan ␪ + 共− 1兲m+1 ,
unsteady free-surface waves in the viscous far wake is given 4
by 共29兲
2
␩ = H共t − R cos ␪兲 兺 共␩Sk + ␩Tk 兲 + o共R−1兲, 共21兲 ␲
k=0
1/2
Nm = Qm R cos ␪ − qmQm
1/2
R sin ␪ tan ␪ + 共− 1兲m+1 1/2
− 2Qm t.
4
where 共30兲

066303-4
UNSTEADY FREE-SURFACE WAVES DUE TO A… PHYSICAL REVIEW E 71, 066303 共2005兲

IV. UNSTEADY VISCOUS FREE-SURFACE WAVES DUE 2

TO A SUDDENLY STOPPING OSEENLET ␩T3 =␧ d
3/2 R
兺 dmVdmSdmTQm15/4关Fx共cos M m − cos Nm兲
m=1
In Sec. III, the point force is assumed to start suddenly
from rest and to move with a constant velocity. In this sec-
1/2
− Qm Fz共sin M m − sin Nm兲兴, 共35兲

冋 冉
tion, the point force is assumed to stop suddenly from a

冊
2
steady state, the decaying of three-dimensional waves will be 1/4
Qm h0 ␲
␩T4 = 2␧1/2dR 兺 dmVdmBdmTQm3/2 Fx sin M m − +
investigated. Cartesian coordinates are taken fixed on the sin-
m=1 冑2␧ 4

冉 冑 冊册
gularity. It is assumed that the point force stops suddenly at
t = 0. For t ⬍ 0 the steady-state flow is due to an Oseenlet. 1/4
Qm h0
The governing equations are Eqs. 共1兲 and 共2兲 with FS = 0. − ␧1/2FzQm
5/4
cos M m − , 共36兲
The boundary conditions are given by Eqs. 共3兲–共6兲. We may 2␧
write u共x , z , t兲 = ⵜ ⌽ + VT, where ⌽共x , t兲 represents an irrota- where ␩T0 , Qm
1/4 V
, d R, d m S
, dm B
, dm T
, dm , M m, and Nm are given in
tional flow while VT共x , t兲 represents a rotational flow. Thus, Sec. III.
the boundary conditions can be expressed by Eqs. 共10兲–共13兲
with uS = vS = wS = PS = 0. The initial conditions can be given V. CHARACTERISTICS OF UNSTEADY VISCOUS WAVES
by 兩␩共x , y , t兲兩t=0 = ␩S共x , y兲 and 兩⌽共x , y , 0 , t兲兩t=0 = ⌽S共x , y , 0兲, DUE TO AN OSEENLET
where ␩S is the steady free-surface wave elevation, and ⌽S is It can be seen from Eq. 共21兲 that the disturbed waves
the velocity potential. Following Sec. III, one may obtain the consist of two parts, ␩Sk and ␩Tk . As time tends to infinity, ␩Sk
steady wave elevation and the potential function as reduces to the steady viscous waves and ␩Tk vanishes due to

冕冕 . Therefore, ␩Sk is
⬁ ⬁ T
1 the exponential temporal decay factor dm
兵␩ S共x,y兲,⌽S共x,y,0兲其 = 兵N␩S ,NS⌽其 the steady-state response and ␩k the transient response to an
T
4␲2 −⬁ −⬁ Oseenlet starting suddenly from rest to a constant velocity. It
exp共i␣x + i␤y兲 is noted that the expressions of wave profiles involving q1
⫻ d␣d␤ , 共31a兲 correspond to the transverse wave system, while the expres-
i␣D0
sions involving q2 the diverging wave system. Accordingly,
where the solution for the unsteady waves is given by the superpo-

冋 册
sition of four families of waves: the steady transverse waves,
1 2 the steady diverging waves, the transient transverse waves,
NS⌽ = 共i␣Fx − AFz兲 共␣ + A兲 − 2i␧␣A − 2␧2A2共A + B0兲
2A and the transient diverging waves.
⫻exp共− Ah0兲 + 2共B0␣Fx + iA2Fz兲共␣␧ − 2iA2␧2兲 It should be noted that the amplitudes of ␩S1 and ␩T1 are of
order ␧ relative to those of ␩S0 and ␩T0 , whereas ␩S2 and ␩T2 are
⫻exp共− B0h0兲, 共31b兲 trivial components for large submergence depths due to the
presence of factor dm B
. ␩S2 and ␩T2 become relatively signifi-
N␩S = 兩N兩s=0 , 共31c兲 cant only when h0 = O共冑␧兲, that is, when the Oseenlet is near
the free surface. Thus, ␩Sk and ␩Tk 共k = 1 , 2兲 can be regarded as
B0 = 兩B兩s=0 . 共31d兲 the higher-order viscous correction to the wave profile. In
addition, there exists a phase shift of ␲ / 2 between ␩S0 and ␩S1,
The procedure to obtain ␩共x , y , t兲 follows that in Sec. III
which is also true for ␩T0 and ␩T1 . The phases of ␩S2 and ␩T2 are
and will not be reproduced here. Finally, the unsteady free- shifted due to the presence of the submergence depth. An
surface waves in the viscous far wake become interesting feature of the present result is that the first-order

冉冊 solution for the transient response, ␩T1 , consists of two waves

4
1
␩ = 兺 ␩Tk + o , 共32兲 with different phases of oscillation, i.e., M m and Nm, which
k=0 R represent the “noise” disturbance in the initial stage of the
where wave evolution and decay exponentially as time increases.
Although the contribution from the first-order solution re-
2
mains insignificant, it represents the effect of a viscous wake.
␩T1 = − 2␧dR 兺 dmVdmSdmTQm9/4关Fx sin M m + Qm1/2Fz cos M m兴, Equation 共21兲 shows that the generated unsteady viscous
m=1
waves are confined within a wedge of semiangle as well as
共33兲 within a moving finite triangular region behind the body,
2 ⌳␩ = 兵共R, ␪兲兩0 ⬍ R 艋 t sec ␪,兩␪兩 ⬍ ␪c其, 共37兲
␩T2 3/2 R
= − 2␧ d 兺 V S T 3
dm d md mQ m where ␪c = tan−1 冑1 / 8 ⬇ 19° 28⬘. The moving finite regions

再 冋 冉 冊 冉 冊册
m=1
are shown in Fig. 2, which is consistent with that obtained by
␲ ␲ Liu and Tao 关6兴 for the unsteady ship waves in an inviscid
⫻ Fx cos M m + − cos Nm + fluid. As time increases, the waves move away from the body
4 4

冋冉 冊 冉 冊册冎
and the finite triangular region extends to an infinite
␲ ␲ V-shaped region, which is the same as the well-known
1/2
− Qm Fz sin M m + − sin Nm + , 共34兲
4 4 Kelvin ship-wave wedge for inviscid waves.

066303-5
D.-Q. LU AND A. T. CHWANG
FIG. 2. The moving triangular region for unsteady free-surface
waves at t = 40, 60, and 80 共—, boundary line; ---, cusp line兲.
Dugan 关12兴 found that in two-dimensional Oseen flows,
the wave amplitude due to a unity drag is the same as that
due to a unit lift while there is a phase shift of ␲ / 2 between
these two waves. Equation 共21兲 shows that for the three-
dimensional case, the wave amplitude due to a unity drag is
less than that due to a unit lift since Qm 艌 1, and there also
exists a phase shift of ␲ / 2 between these two waves, as
shown in Fig. 3.
A close examination of the solutions shows that there ex-
ist three types of decay factors for the steady wave profiles:
V 2
the radial decay factor dR, the viscous decay factor dm , and
S B
the submergence decay factors dm and dm. All generated
waves are attenuated algebraically along the distance away
from the body as well as exponentially by the inclusion of
viscosity and submergence. The effects of parameters ␧ and
h0 on the wave profile are shown in Figs. 4 and 5, respec-
tively. Besides these three factors, there is a temporal decay
T tion and the corresponding inviscid solution predicted by Liu
factor dm for transient waves, which ensures that the transient
components eventually vanish as time goes to infinity. Figure
6 shows the unsteady viscous waves at different instants. As
time increases, the transient waves diminish. Thus, the
steady state 共t → ⬁兲 can be attained ultimately.
A careful examination of factor dm T
for the transverse 共m
= 1兲 and diverging waves 共m = 2兲 shows that the transverse
wave system is less damped than the diverging one, espe-
cially in the region close to ␪ = 0. Therefore, for a point sin-
gularity, the transverse wave system is the dominant compo-
nent of the singularity-generated wave system.
FIG. 3. A comparison between drag- and lift-induced waves
with h0 = 1, ␧ = 0.01, Fx = 4␲, Fz = 4␲, ␪ = 0.33, and t = 80 共—, drag-
induced wave; –·–·, lift-induced wave兲.
066303-6
PHYSICAL REVIEW E 71, 066303 共2005兲
FIG. 4. The effect of parameter ␧ on the wave profiles with h0
= 1, ␧ = 0.01, Fx = 4␲, Fz = 0, ␪ = 0.33, and t = 80 共---, ␧ = 0; –·–·, ␧
= 0.005; —, ␧ = 0.01兲.
A special case of the present result with ␧ = 0 and Fz = 0
corresponds to a simple source moving in an inviscid fluid.
In the limit as ␧ tends to zero, ␩S1, ␩S2, ␩T1 , and ␩T2 vanish
while ␩S0 and ␩T0 simply reduce to the same one. Thus, the
steady and transient components of the surface elevation for
an inviscid fluid are
␩S,0 = ␩T,0 = − Fxd R
兺
m=1
dm Qm cos M m + o共R−1兲,
S 3/4
0 ⬍ x ⬍ t,
共38兲
which agrees with that obtained by Liu and Tao 关关6兴, Eq.
共35兲兴. The remarkable difference between the present solu-
and Tao 关6兴 is the existence of a temporal decay factor dm T
. It
can be seen from Eq. 共38兲 that the potential theory predicts a
nonvanishing transient component. This incompatibility
caused by the potential theory is removed by the viscous
theory.
A special case of the present result with Fz = 0 corresponds
to a “singular needle” moving in a viscous flow. The corre-
sponding solution obtained by Lurye 关关14兴, Eqs. 共69兲 and
共70兲兴 is recovered by the present solution. Another special
case of the present result with Fx = 0 and h0 = 0 corresponds
FIG. 5. The effect of parameter h0 on the wave profiles with
h0 = 1, ␧ = 0.01, Fx = 4␲, Fz = 0, ␪ = 0.33, and t = 80 共---, h0 = 0; –·–·,
h0 = 0.5; —, h0 = 1.0兲.
UNSTEADY FREE-SURFACE WAVES DUE TO A…
FIG. 6. The evolution of viscous free-surface waves with h0
= 1, ␧ = 0.01, Fx = 4␲, Fz = 0, and ␪ = 0.33 共---, t = 40; –·–·, t = 80; —,
t = ⬁兲.
to a point pressure moving on the surface of a viscous fluid.
The corresponding steady solution given by Cumberbatch
关关9兴, Eq. 共48兲兴 is also recovered by the present solution. It
should be noted that the potential theories predict an infinite
amplitude for diverging waves near the moving path of a
floating body 关关5兴, Fig. 4兴. However, the viscous theory pre-
sented in this paper predicts zero amplitude for diverging
waves as ␪ approaches the path of a moving body, which is
consistent with the physical reality.
In the limit as ␧ tends to zero, Eq. 共32兲 reduces to the
solution obtained by Wehausen and Laitone 关4兴 for steady
inviscid waves. The most remarkable feature of Eq. 共32兲 is
the presence of viscous decay factors and high-order viscous
corrections. dmT
共m = 1 , 2兲 can be regarded as decay factors for
the energy dissipation in ship waves. From Eqs. 共32兲–共36兲
and Fig. 7, it can easily be seen that the wave will die out as
time goes to infinity. However, the potential theory predicts a
nonvanishing wave for the suddenly stopping singularity,
which does not agree with the physical observation. It can be
stated that the attenuation of waves is caused by the inclu-
sion of viscosity.
VI. CONCLUSIONS
Analytical solutions are obtained for the unsteady viscous
free-surface waves generated by a point force moving in an
incompressible fluid of infinite depth. The point force is as-
sumed to experience a Heaviside step change in velocity at
the initial instant. Two categories of the velocity change, 共i兲
from zero to a constant and 共ii兲 from a constant to zero, have
been analyzed. It is found that the unsteady viscous wave
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066303-7
PHYSICAL REVIEW E 71, 066303 共2005兲
FIG. 7. The evolution of inviscid waves 共– ·· –兲 and of viscous
waves with ␧ = 0.001, h0 = 1, Fx = 4␲, and ␪ = 0.33. 共----- t = 50, —
t = 100, –·–·– t = 200 for viscous waves兲.
system consists of four families of waves: the steady trans-
verse waves, the steady diverging waves, the transient trans-
verse waves, and the transient diverging waves. The gener-
ated unsteady waves are confined within a finite triangular
region and move away behind the point force. As time in-
creases, the finite region extends to an infinite V-shaped re-
gion. The waves due to a suddenly stopping Oseenlet consist
of two families of waves: the transient transverse waves and
the transient diverging waves.
All waves are attenuated algebraically along the distance
away from the Oseenlet as well as exponentially by the in-
clusion of viscosity and submergence. The remarkable fea-
ture for the transient viscous waves is the existence of a
temporal decay factor, which ensures that the transient com-
ponents will tend to zero as time goes to infinity. Thus, the
steady state can be attained ultimately. The radial decay fac-
tor, the submergence decay factors, and the viscous decay
factors 共one spatial and another temporal兲 are analytically
expressed. The diverging waves are more severely damped
than the transverse waves. Hence the singularity-induced
wave system consists primarily of transverse waves.
It is found that the fundamental singularity in Oseen flow
共Oseenlet兲 is a general model for the simulation of a moving
body on or beneath the free surface of a real fluid since the
previous works by other authors can readily be attained by
taking the corresponding limits of the present result.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was sponsored by the Hong Kong Research
Grants Council under Grant No. HKU 7076/02E and the
Youth Foundation of Shanghai Municipal Education Com-
mission under Grant No. 04AC79.
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