ABSTRACT
Preliminary experiments are conducted to study the dynamics of circular gravity cage in linear waves. Experiments are done in a flume 38.5 m long, with a simplified model of a cage, which includes a floating collar, a bottom ring and nets. The model is connected to supports above the flume by wires. Linear waves are applied in experiments. The upstream wave heights are around 4 cm and 8 cm, while wave periods are from 0.8 s to 3 s. For short waves, the wave height decreases significantly after passing the fish cage. For long waves, the fish cage model has little effect on the passing waves, not changing the wave height nor period. The preliminary tests show that for some ranges of periods the cages respond dynamically and they have a damping effect on the passing waves, while for longer periods they simply ride the waves. The limitations of the experiments and insights from the experiments for future research are discussed.
