Laboratory Investigation of Wave Breaking. Part 2. Deep Water Waves

Abstract

This study represents the first known attempt to examine in some detail the flow dynamics of the terminal growth and breaking of periodic surface waves in deep water, under controlled and reproducible laboratory conditions. This work was considered a necessary preliminary to future studies of storm wave breaking, a phenomenon of considerable engineering importance that has received little scientific attention. In the present study, a tape-controlled servo- paddle system produced single-frequency, deep water wave trains, which were laterally converged to the breaking point within a tapered channel. Using high- response elevation and velocity sensors, profiles and internal velocity fields of growing waves were determined as functions of time and distance before and after breaking.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1975
Accession Number
ADA013336

Entities

People

  • S. E. Pazan
  • W. G. Van Dorn

Organizations

  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetry
  • Boundary Layer
  • Deep Water
  • Doppler Effect
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Fluid Flow
  • Frequency
  • Group Velocity
  • Hydrodynamics
  • Measurement
  • Phase Velocity
  • Potential Energy
  • Stratified Fluids
  • Water Waves
  • Wave Propagation
  • Waveforms

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Software Engineering