Finite element solutions of free surface flows

A procedure is presented for using NASTRAN to determine the flow field about arbitrarily shaped bodies in the presence of a free surface. The fundamental unknown of the problem is the velocity potential which must satisfy Laplace's equation in the fluid region. Boundary conditions on the free surface may involve second order derivatives in space and time. In cases involving infinite domains either a tractable radiation condition is applied at a truncated boundary or a series expansion is used and matched to the local finite elements. Solutions are presented for harmonic, transient, and steady state problems and compared to either exact solutions or other numerical solutions.