Variational methods of solving dynamic problems for fluid-containing bodies

A variational approach to solving linear and nonlinear problems for a body with cavities partially filled with a perfect incompressible fluid is enunciated. The approach applies a nonclassical variational principle to describe the spatial motion of a finite fluid with a free surface and the classical variational principle, which is widely used in rigid body dynamics. These principles are used to formulate variational problems that are the basis of direct methods of solving nonlinear and linear dynamic problems for body-fluid systems. The approach allows us to derive an infinite system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations describing the joint motion of the rigid body and fluid and to develop an algorithm for determining the hydrodynamic coefficients. Linearized differential equations of motion of the mechanical system are presented and approximate methods are given to solve linear boundary-value problems and to determine the hydrodynamic coefficients.Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 40, No. 10, pp. 37–77, October 2004.The study was partially sponsored by the German Research Fund (der Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), Grant 436 UKR113/33/0-3.