Impacted on a Surface wave of a tension-ed Anchor cable

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of a tensioned anchor cable when it encounters surface waves, specifically examining the interactions of transverse and longitudinal waves with the cable. Participants explore various aspects of wave reflection, transmission, and the effects of tension on these processes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether a portion of the wave is reflected by Snell's law when encountering the cable and if the reflection coefficient increases with higher tension in the cable.
  • Another participant draws an analogy to beach waves, suggesting similar interactions occur.
  • There is a discussion about whether the cable acts as a flexible barrier and how it transmits waves under tension.
  • Concerns are raised about the relative forces acting on the anchor cable versus those acting on a boat, suggesting that the wave's impact on the cable may be minimal.
  • A participant proposes that if the cable allows free flow of water, the interaction could be simplified to a point load problem, but acknowledges complexities at higher speeds.
  • There is a debate about the permeability of the cable and its effect on wave transmission, with questions about what constitutes slow versus fast speeds in the context of ocean waves.
  • One participant expresses frustration over the evolving nature of the problem description and requests a clearer definition of the scenario being analyzed.
  • Another participant compares the situation to a sound wave hitting a diaphragm, discussing resonance and energy reflection, while noting the coupling between the water and the cable.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specifics of the problem, with multiple competing views and interpretations of the scenario remaining unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexity of the interactions due to various factors such as wave speed, tension in the cable, and the nature of the cable's permeability, which remain inadequately defined in the discussion.

Tom79Tom
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I'm trying to figure out what happens to a tension-ed anchor line when encountered by a surface wave (transverse and longitudinal )

Assuming a 2 dimensional view, or that the cable is sufficiently wide that the wave cannot go 'around it' what happens to the path and speed of the surface wave .

Anchor Line.jpg


Is a portion of the wave encountering the boundary reflected by Snells way from the boundary? (upward) Is the reflection coefficient higher the higher the tension in the cable ?

As speed is directly proportional to tension Does the portion transmitted to the anchor cable travel along its length at faster speed .

Does the transmitted portion also transmit thru to the water below returning to the same speed?

Is the outcome related to only one component transverse or longitudinal or is it the same ?
 

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Isn't this the same action as at a beach?
 
Tom79Tom said:
the cable is sufficiently wide that the wave cannot go 'around it'
So it's actually a flexible barrier?
 
Is this question really about what happens to the tension in the anchor cable when the wave hits the boat ?
The interaction forces between the wave and the anchor cable are minute compared with the interaction forces between the wave and the boat .

If though we take your question literally then a moving column of water is pressing down on a flexible sheet with an uncertain fixation at the boat end . Working out what happens in that case would take forever since there are so many variables involved .
 
A.T. said:
So it's actually a flexible barrier?
Yes that's probably a good description! but under tension... I'm trying to understand how the surface wave (at depth) would interact with it . without the tension i would see the sheet just transmit the wave ..i might be wrong ?

Nidum said:
The interaction forces between the wave and the anchor cable are minute compared with the interaction forces between the wave and the boat .
No i am not really interested in the boat, its more an analogy- it could be replaced with a post etc that fixes the tension in the otherwise flexible sheet? Does that make it simpler ?
Anchor line 2.jpg


Many thanks for your time
 

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Assuming that there is free flow of water between the upper and lower sides of the sheet then at slow speeds this is just a point load on a washing line type problem .

At higher speeds there will be horizontal and vertical load components . These will require a hydrodynamic analysis to evaluate . No easy but probably do-able for an idealised version of the problem .
 
Nidum said:
Assuming that there is free flow of water between the upper and lower sides of the sheet then at slow speeds this is just a point load on a washing line type problem .
If it was sufficiently permeable wouldn't the wave be allowed to transmit ? I'm assuming it would be impermeable to have any effect ? The speed range in question for ocean waves is 10-20 meters per second ? is that slow speed or fast?
 
That's the third version of the problem in as many posts .

Please let us have a more definitive description of the problem that you are trying to solve .
 
Tom79Tom said:
what happens to a tension-ed anchor line when encountered by a surface wave (transverse and longitudinal )
Tom79Tom said:
Assuming a 2 dimensional view, or that the cable is sufficiently wide that the wave cannot go 'around it'
Nidum said:
That's the third version of the problem in as many posts .
I haven't revised it, . I started with the statement that the cable was under tension and the wave couldn't go around That remains the scenario i still wish to explore. I'm not sure what else i can add to the description
The examples i can find about reflection from an impedance discontinuity all talk about changes in density but rarely (never) talk about the action of a surface wave encountering tension. Its like a surface wave hitting a really wide guitar string underwater
 
  • #10
In principle I think it is like a sound wave hitting a diaphragm. It will be reactive above and below resonance, where it will reflect part of the energy, and will be nearly transparent at resonance. However, the water is a dense medium, so I think the membrane will be strongly coupled to it and its own resonance will be largely damped out, making it nearly transparent at all frequencies. The tension of the membrane will be negligibly small compared to the moving mass of water.
 

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