Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 March 2006
Linear wave theory is extensively used in research on the design of ship hull forms. Difficulty is being encountered, however, because of substantial differences between the calculated and measured phase geometry of the wave patterns generated. It seems likely that these differences may be at least partly due to nonlinear effects on phase velocity, and a nonlinear analysis of the Kelvin pattern has been undertaken as a basis for estimating the possible magnitude of such effects. It is noted that the Kelvin pattern due to a source in a finite tank contains a set of discrete free wave modes. An analysis of the nonlinear interactions in the general case of a steady multidirectional pattern of discrete cosine wave modes is undertaken, special attention being paid to the distortion of the phase anatomy, and the resulting theory is applied to the case of the Kelvin pattern in a tank. Sample computations using this analysis are discussed.