Further studies of stern wavemaking

Abstract

A new numerical method is applied to the problem of inviscid irrotational flow past a semi-infinite stern-like body of general shape. Both smooth-detachment and stagnant-detachment flows are considered, in the context of varying the geometry of the stern to generate very small waves, with the eventual aim of eliminating waves altogether. The results of this work confirm previously published results for the smooth-detachment case, but cast doubt on the existence of waveless solutions for stagnant detachment.