A Benchmark Problem for Three-Dimensional Linear Hydroelasticity

There has been substantial development in codes for three-dimensional linear hydroelasticity, but to the authors’ knowledge there does not seem to be any problems put forth in the open literature to serve as an appropriate benchmark problem for a floating structure. We present in this paper a detailed description of such a problem for three-dimensional hydroelastic computer codes. The structure is a rectangular, box-shaped ‘barge’ with dimensions 100 m × 10 m × 2 m. Its deformational response primarily involves vertical and horizontal bending. Detailed descriptions of the structure, the finite element structural shell model, and the hydrodynamic fluid model, based on the constant panel Green function method, are provided. Fine meshes are used to minimize discretization errors. Detailed results, including dry natural periods and modes, wet natural periods, and wave-induced displacements and stresses are presented. The detail is sufficient for others to use the problem as a benchmark for other codes.