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My Chinese colleagues from Shanghai Jiao Tong University performed nice experiments to study the interaction between a solitary wave and a finite horizontal plate submerged at a depth equal to 1/4 of the water depth. The spatial and temporal variation of the three-dimensional (3D) surface deformation were measured using a multi-lens stereo reconstruction system. The hydrodynamic loads were measured by underwater load cells. The plate-induced shoaling causes 3D wave focusing, leading to an increased maximum elevation along the streamwise centerline of the plate. The detailed wave focusing process and the influence of wave amplitude on focusing are presented in a paper that just came out in Physics of Fluids (https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0015903). A 6-stage loading process based on the maxima of vertical wave force and pitching moment is proposed. It is coupled with the synchronous surface deformation to reveal the loading mechanism. It proves that the vertical wave force on the plate reduces compared with the results from 2D experiments. The surface elevation and wave-induced load data provide an excellent benchmark for further studies on the 3D nonlinear interaction between a solitary wave and a submerged plate.

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