Dynamics of a Floating Buoy Under Latching Control

This paper is an attempt at a deeper investigation of the dynamic behavior of an axisymmetric buoy under latching (switching) control. The bilinear system of equations of motion is integrated analytically for regular wave excitation, assuming pneumatic and hydraulic power take-off mechanisms. The procedure provides, for a prescribed latching sequence, the time variation of the buoy displacement and the pneumatic/hydraulic pressure, and the phase plots for buoy motion. Results are used to investigate the dependence on wave number, of capture factor, peak to peak and mean buoy displacement, and peak to peak and mean pressure. Also examined is the dependence of these quantities on load damping. Overall, the results appear to provide some useful insight that could help with design of the device and the power take-off mechanism when latching control is being considered.