Small amplitude oscillations of a thin beam immersed in a viscous fluid near a solid surface

The hydrodynamic loading on a solid body moving in a viscous fluid can be strongly affected by its proximity to a surface. In this article, we calculate the hydrodynamic load on an infinitely long rigid beam of zero thickness that is undergoing small amplitude oscillations. The presence of a solid surface an arbitrary distance from the beam is rigorously accounted for using a boundary integral formulation. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.