Mechanics of water waves over a viscoelastic mud layer

Abstract

This is a study on the interaction between water surface waves and a thin layer of viscoelastic mud on the bottom. On assuming that the mud layer is comparable in thickness with the wave boundary layer and is much smaller than the wavelength, a two-layer Stokes boundary layer model is adopted to determine the mud motions under the waves. Analytical expressions are derived for the near-bottom water and mud velocity fields, surface wave-damping rate, and interface wave amplitude and phase lag. It is examined in particular how these kinematic quantities may depend on the viscous and elastic properties of the mud. Copyright © 2006 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers.