Hydroelastic wake on a thin elastic sheet floating on water

TL;DR

This study explores hydroelastic wakes on floating elastic sheets, combining experimental measurements with theoretical models to understand wave behavior influenced by gravity, bending, and stretching effects.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive experimental validation of the hydroelastic wave dispersion relation on floating elastic sheets, including independent measurements of bending and tension.

Findings

Experimental data matches theoretical dispersion relation

Bending modulus and tension are accurately measured independently

Wave characteristics vary with perturbation speed and sheet properties

Abstract

We investigate the hydroelastic wake created by a perturbation moving at constant speed along a thin elastic sheet floating at the surface of deep water. Using a high-resolution cross-correlation imaging technique, we characterize the waves as a function of the perturbation speed, for different sheet thicknesses. The general theoretical expression for the dispersion relation of hydroelastic waves includes three components: gravity, bending and stretching. The bending modulus and the tension in the sheet are independently measured. Excellent agreement is found between the experimental data and the theoretical expression.