The hydrodynamic characteristics of a free-floating moonpool encountering the gap resonances are investigated based on the constrained interpolation profile method in numerical wave tank. This paper mainly concentrates on the influences of the moonpool's motion responses and the incident-wave height on the gap resonances in the free-floating moonpool. Numerical results demonstrated that the heave response significantly changes the frequency and the magnitude of the linear gap resonance, while the roll motion influences more on the vertical wave loads and the wave responses in the fluid field. The heave and roll response of the free-floating moonpool are generally independent. Moreover, the magnitudes of the nonlinear gap resonances have the tendency of catching up and exceeding the linear gap resonance as the incident-wave height increasing for the free-floating moonpool, which is the consequence of the higher-order harmonics driven by the nonlinear processes and the linear secondary resonant region induced by the heave response. Based on the wavelet transform, it could be observed that the amplified harmonic component usually takes more time to be fully developed than other harmonic components during the development of its corresponding nonlinear gap resonance.

Accuracy estimation of wave loading on cylinders in a pile group under different impact scenarios is essential for both the structural safety and cost of coastal and offshore structures. Differing from the interaction of waves with a single cylinder, less attention has been paid to pile groups under different arrangements. Numerical simulations of interactions between plunging breaking waves and pile group in finite water depth are performed using the two-phase flow model in REEF3D, an open-source computational fluid dynamics program to investigate the wave loads and flow kinematics characteristics. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation with the two equation k − ω turbulence model is adopted to resolve the numerical wave tank. The model is validated by comparing the numerical wave forces and free surface elevation with measurements from experiments. The computational results show fairly good agreement with experimental data. Four cases are simulated with different relative distances, numbers of cylinders, and arrangements. Results show that the wave forces on cylinders in the pile group are effected by the relative distance between cylinders. The staggered arrangement has a significant influence on the wave forces on the first and second cylinder. The interaction inside a pile group mostly happens between the neighboring cylinders. These interactions are also effected by the relative distance and the numbers of the neighboring cylinders.

Sail-assisted propulsion is an important energy-saving technology in the shipping industry, and the development of foldable wingsails has recently become a hot topic. This type of sail is usually composed of multiple elements, and its performance at different folding configurations is very sensitive to changes in incoming airflow, which result in practical operational challenges. Therefore, original and optimized three-element wingsails (bare and concave) are modeled and simulated using the unsteady RANS method with the k-ω SST turbulence model. Next, certain key design and structural parameters (such as angle of attack, apparent wind angle, and camber) are employed to characterize the auxiliary propulsion performance, and the differences are explained in combination with the flow field details. The results show that, in the unfolded state, the aerodynamic performance of the concave wingsail is better than that of the bare wingsail, exhibiting higher lift coefficients, lower drag coefficients, and a more stable surface flow. In the fully folded state, wherein both the nose and flap are rotated, the thrust performance of the concave wingsail remains superior. Specifically, at an angle of attack of 8 degrees, the thrust coefficient of the concave wingsail is approximately 23.5% higher than that of the bare wingsail, indicating improved wind energy utilization. The research results are of great significance for engineering applications and subsequent optimization design.