Suppression of Capillary Waves by Surface-Active Films.

Abstract

Minute amounts of ampiphillic molecules at an air-water interface can have striking effects on both the damping and generation of capillary waves. The theory of these effects within linearized hydrodynamics is reviewed. The conventional wisdom is that oil calms troubled waters by increasing the rate of capillary wave damping. Although surface-active films can increase the damping rate by factors of two to four, a potentially more important effect is the suppression of capillary wave generation by the wind. In particular, generation by the components of fluctuating Reynold's stresses in the atmosphere parallel to the surface can be reduced by an order of magnitude or more. The theory predicts a more modest suppression of the effect of Reynold's stresses normal to the surface. Keywords: Capillary waves, Hydrodynamics, Ampiphillic molecules.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA162881

Entities

People

  • David Nelson

Organizations

  • MITRE Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Bulk Modulus
  • Capillary Waves
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Dispersion Relations
  • Equations
  • Films
  • Frequency
  • Gravity Waves
  • Hydrodynamics
  • Mechanics
  • Microvessels
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Stresses
  • Surface Tension
  • Two Dimensional

Readers

  • Marine Hydrodynamics
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.