Obtainable accuracy in the solution of practical problems by small-amplitude wave theory

Results obtainable using the theory of progressive waves of small amplitude and certain fundamental solutions relating to waves of finite height are investigated. The theoretical findings are compared with existing experimental data. It is established that the best agreement between the theoretical and experimental profiles of a plane wave is achieved with constructions based on Kozhevnikov's [1] graphs and the equations of motion in the second approximation with respect to the wave height in the form proposed by Mich [2]. The limits within which it is expedient to use the theoretical formulas of the theory of small-amplitude waves and the theory of the second approximation with respect to the wave height are found and proved for the particle velocity, excess pressure, energy flux, and the energy of a single wave.     

Measurements of wave-variance and velocity spectra in breaking waves

Displacements of mechanical waves superposed onto wind waves were measured with a laser displacement gauge in a wind-wave tank. The effects of wave breaking, especially the spilling breaking type, on the wave-variance spectra are investigated. In the absence of wave breaking, the quasi-equilibrium spectrum consists of an f ^–7/3 subrange in the capillary regime, and its spectral density increases with increasing wind speed. When intense spilling breaking occurs, the water surface is saturated with small-scale features that cause not only an increase in the spectral density but also a reduction in the slope of the spectrum at high frequencies. Velocity components under the water surface were measured with a laser Doppler velocimeter. The energy spectra of the vertical and longitudinal velocity components in breaking waves are practically identical in the frequency range near the dominant wave frequency. At higher frequencies, the spectra generally follow Kolmogorov's –5/3 law. In the intermediate frequency range, we observed a higher spectral density for the vertical velocity component than for its longitudinal counterpart. These results suggest that turbulence energy is transferred from the vertical component to the longitudinal component in breaking waves. The acceleration of the water motion becomes as large as gravitational acceleration when intense wave breaking takes place. The flow field in breaking waves is highly dissipative.     

An interfacial Gerstner-type trapped wave

Coastally trapped rotational interfacial waves are studied theoretically by using a Lagrangian formulation of fluid motion in a rotating ocean. The waves propagate along the interface between two immiscible inviscid incompressible fluid layers of finite depths and different densities, and are trapped at a straight wall due to the Coriolis force. For layers of finite depth, solutions are sought as series expansions after a small parameter. Comparison is made with the irrotational interfacial Kelvin wave. Both types of waves are identical to first order, having zero vorticity. The second order solution yields a relation between the vorticity and the velocity shear in the wave motion. Requiring that the mean motion in both layers is irrotational, then follows the well-known Stokes drift for interfacial Kelvin waves. On the other hand, if the mean forward drift is identically zero, we obtain the second order vorticity in the Gerstner-type wave. The solutions in both layers for the Gerstner-type interfacial wave are given analytically to second order. It is shown that small density differences and thin upper layers both act to yield a shape of the material interfacial with broader crests and sharper troughs. These effects also tend to make the particle trajectories at the interface in both layers become distorted ellipses which are flatter on the upper side. It is concluded that the effect of air excludes the possibility of observing the exact Gerstner wave in deep water.     

Breakdown of parametric fluid oscillations

Under the conditions of Faraday resonance the breakdown of oscillations of the free surface of a homogeneous fluid and of the interface in a two-layer fluid in a rectangular vessel is investigated. Experimentally, for several modes of surface and internal waves, the breakdown frequencies are measured and it is observed that on approaching these frequencies the waves intensely disintegrate. As in the theory of parametric oscillations of mechanical systems with one degree of freedom, the theoretical modeling is based on the assumption of the determining role of dissipative factors. For breaking Faraday waves an equivalent damping coefficient is introduced and estimated from experimental resonance curves. The applicability of the approach proposed is demonstrated with reference to a mechanical system with one degree of freedom: a physical pendulum with the suspension point oscillating vertically.     

Breaking of Faraday waves and jet launch formation

Irregular and breaking Faraday waves are experimentally investigated. Among the irregular waves those with a small depression in the wave crest and periodic triplets are distinguished. In the case of breaking waves the mechanism of jet launch formation on the wave crest is considered. It is experimentally demonstrated that the breaking of standing waves in a rectangular reservoir starts with cavity collapse on the wave crest in process of formation. It is shown that jet launch from the wave crest is preceded by the initiation, development, and collapse of a cavity. A universal power-law dependence governing cavity collapse is obtained. A comparison of the experimental data with an analytical model suggests that cavity initiation is due to the nonlinearity of the waves themselves, namely, the presence of two small disturbances of the free surface traveling counter to one another and forming a cavity. The results obtained underline the importance of the initial stage of wave breaking.     

矩形弹性壳液耦合系统中的重力波分析

根据非线性动力学理论，建立了矩形壳液耦合系统的非线性振动方程组，通过数值求解，发现当激振频率为壳体固有频率与重力波频率之和，且激振力足够大时，会产生大幅低频重力波，通过实验验证，发现了壳液耦合系统中存在的大幅低频重力波现象，实验结果与理论结果基本吻合。     

Complex surface rays associated with inhomogeneous skimming and Rayleigh waves

The Rayleigh wave, that propagates at the free surface of semi-infinite anisotropic medium, is composed of three inhomogeneous partial waves, each propagating along the surface with a different attenuation along the depth. Since this wave does not exhibit an attenuation on the surface, let us call it the homogeneous Rayleigh wave. The associated slowness corresponds to the real solution of the Rayleigh dispersion equation. Besides this classical solution, an infinite number of complex solutions of the Rayleigh dispersion equation exits. For such particular Rayleigh waves, the slowness vector, i.e. the identical component on the surface of the slowness of each partial waves, is taken to be complex. Thus, these Rayleigh waves are attenuated on the surface and as shown here, their attenuation is normal to the ray direction (or the energy velocity direction). Similarly to the infinite inhomogeneous plane waves which can be associated with complex rays, we call these waves, inhomogeneous Rayleigh waves. We use the inhomogeneous skimming waves, which are inhomogeneous plane waves, and the inhomogeneous Rayleigh waves to explain differently the usual diffraction phenomena on the free surface which cannot be explained by the real ray theory. For example, the arrival time of the wave packet observed beyond the cusp is in perfect accordance with the arrival time of some specific inhomogeneous Rayleigh waves. We show that these results are in agreement with the computation of the Green function. They apply to the theory of surface waves in linear elastodynamics with intrinsic anisotropy as well as to the theory of surface waves in linearised (incremental) elastodynamics with strain-induced anisotropy (also known as small-amplitude waves superimposed on the large static homogeneous deformation of a non-linear solid).     

The Sub-Harmonic Bifurcation of Stokes Waves

Steady periodic water waves on the free surface of an infinitely deep irrotational flow under gravity without surface tension (Stokes waves) can be described in terms of solutions of a quasi-linear equation which involves the Hilbert transform and which is the Euler-Lagrange equation of a simple functional. The unknowns are a 2π-periodic function w which gives the wave profile and the Froude number, a dimensionless parameter reflecting the wavelength when the wave speed is fixed (and vice versa). Although this equation is exact, it is quadratic (with no higher order terms) and the global structure of its solution set can be studied using elements of the theory of real analytic varieties and variational techniques. In this paper it is shown that there bifurcates from the first eigenvalue of the linearised problem a uniquely defined arc-wise connected set of solutions with prescribed minimal period which, although it is not necessarily maximal as a connected set of solutions and may possibly self-intersect, has a local real analytic parametrisation and contains a wave of greatest height in its closure (suitably defined). Moreover it contains infinitely many points which are either turning points or points where solutions with the prescribed minimal period bifurcate. (The numerical evidence is that only the former occurs, and this remains an open question.) It is also shown that there are infinitely many values of the Froude number at which Stokes waves, having a minimal wavelength that is an arbitrarily large integer multiple of the basic wavelength, bifurcate from the primary branch. These are the sub-harmonic bifurcations in the paper's title. (In 1925 Levi-Civita speculated that the minimal wavelength of a Stokes wave propagating with speed c did not exceed 2πc ²/g. This is disproved by our result on sub-harmonic bifurcation, since it shows that there are Stokes waves with bounded propagation speeds but arbitrarily large minimal wavelengths.) Although the work of Benjamin & Feir} and others [9, 10] has shown Stokes waves on deep water to be unstable, they retain a central place in theoretical hydrodynamics. The mathematical tools used to study them here are real analytic-function theory, spectral theory of periodic linear pseudo-differential operators and Morse theory, all combined with the deep influence of a paper by Plotnikov [36]. Accepted: December 6, 1999     

Flexural gravity wave motion over poroelastic bed

Using Biot’s consolidation theory, effect of poroelastic bed on flexural gravity wave motion is analyzed in both the cases of single-layer and two-layer fluids. The model for the flexural gravity waves is developed using linear water wave theory and small amplitude structural response in finite water depth. The effects of permeability and shear modulus of poroelastic bed and time period on flexural gravity wave motion are studied by analyzing the dispersion relation, phase speed, plate deflection, interface elevation and pressure distribution along water depth. Various results for surface gravity waves are analyzed as special cases. The study reveals that bed permeability retards the hydrodynamic pressure distribution along the water depth significantly compared to shear modulus whilst, floating plate deflection decreases significantly with change in shear modulus compared to permeability of the poroelastic bed. The present study can be generalized to analyze various wave–structure interaction problems over poroelastic bed.     

Boundary element calculation of shallow water waves

A boundary element method is proposed for studying periodic shallow water problems. The numerical model is based on the shallow water equation. The key feature of this method is that the boundary integral equations are derived using the weighted residual method and the fundamental solutions for shallow water wave problems are obtained by solving the simultaneous singular equations. The accuracy of this method is studied for the wave reflection problem in a rectangular tank. As a result of this test, it has been shown that the number of element divisions and the distribution of nodes are significant to the accuracy. For numerical examples of external problems, the wave diffraction problems due to single cylindrical, double cylindrical and plate obstructions are analysed and compared with the exact and other numerical solutions. Relatively accurate solutions are obtained.     

Rotary motion of the parametric and planar pendulum under stochastic wave excitation

In this paper a rotary motion of a pendulum subjected to a parametric and planar excitation of its pivot mimicking random nature of sea waves has been studied. The vertical motion of the sea surface has been modelled and simulated as a stochastic process, based on the Shinozuka approach and using the spectral representation of the sea state proposed by Pierson–Moskowitz model. It has been investigated how the number of wave frequency components used in the simulation can be reduced without the loss of accuracy and how the model relates to the real data. The generated stochastic wave has been used as an excitation to the pendulum system in numerical and experimental studies. For the first time, the rotary response of a pendulum under stochastic wave excitation has been studied. The rotational number has been used for statistical analysis of the results in the numerical and experimental studies. It has been demonstrated how the forcing arrangement affects the probability of rotation of the parametric pendulum.     

Reflection and Refraction of Anti-Plane Shear Waves from a Moving Phase Boundary

The reflection and refraction of anti-plane shear waves from an interface separating half-spaces with different moduli is well understood in the linear theory of elasticity. Namely, an oblique incident wave gives rise to a reflected wave that departs at the same angle and to a refracted wave that, after transmission through the interface, departs at a possibly different angle. Here we study similar issues for a material that admits mobile elastic phase boundaries in anti-plane shear. We consider an energy minimal equilibrium state in anti-plane shear involving a planar phase boundary that is perturbed due to an incident wave of small magnitude. The phase boundary is allowed to move under this perturbation. As in the linear theory, the perturbation gives rise to a reflected and a refracted wave. The orientation of these waves is independent of the phase boundary motion and determined as in the linear theory. However, the phase boundary motion affects the amplitudes of the departing waves. Perturbation analysis gives these amplitudes for general small phase boundary motion, and also permits the specification of the phase boundary motion on the basis of additional criteria such as a kinetic relation. A standard kinetic relation is studied to quantify the subsequent energy partitioning and dissipation on the basis of the properties of the incident wave.     

Laboratory study on the evolution of waves parameters due to wave breaking in deep water

Understanding of the occurrence of the wave breaking, the process of the wave breaking and evolution of waves after they break in deep water is crucial to simulate the growth of wind wave in ocean. In this study, deep-water breaking waves with various spectral types, center frequencies and frequency bandwidths are generated in a wave flume based on energy focusing theory. The time series of the wave surface elevation along the flume are obtained by 22 wave probes mounted along the central line of the flume. The characteristics of deep-water wave breaking are analyzed using the spectrum analysis based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). For small center frequency the maximum height of wave surface generated using the Pierson–Moskowitz (P–M) spectrum is produced and the impact of the frequency width is small in wave breaking zone. While the spectral type has a significant impact on the local wave steepness during breaking, the influence of center frequency and frequency width on the local wave steepness is very weak. The significant wave steepness changes significantly after wave breaking, but it remains stable in the upstream or the downstream of wave breaking zone. After wave breaking, the peak frequency remains stable, but the spectrally weighted wave frequency changes significantly. The relationship between the level of downshift and the incident wave steepness is approximately linear. By analyzing the energy spectra, it is found that the energy loses near high frequency of controlling frequencies range and increases near peak frequency during the wave breaking. After wave breaking, the total energy dissipates remarkably with increasing breaking intensity.     

Dynamic action of a tsunami wave traveling along a channel

The results of experiments, in which the propagation of a tsunami-type wave along rectangular channels with horizontal and inclined bottoms, are presented. Emphasis is placed on the mechanical action of the wave on a vertical wall. The force is shown to be appreciably dependent on the shape of the leading front of the wave. Experimental data are obtained for both smooth and breaking waves, as well as for waves in different stages of the wave-breaking process.     

考虑床面边界层效应的波浪海床相互作用分析

在考虑海床表面附近黏性边界层的影响下, 考察了波浪与弹性多孔海床之间的相互作用．波浪场包括势流部分和边界层部分,海床域控制方程由比奥固结理论给出．波浪场和海床域通过交界面处应力连续和速度连续条件进行耦合．在简谐波和小变形的前提下,通过联立求解势流方程、波浪边界层方程和海床准静态比奥固结方程得到了波浪运动及相应的海床动力响应的解析解．通过与以往文献的实验结果进行对比,解析解的合理性得到了验证．通过参数分析讨论了实际问题中需要考虑波浪和海床相互作用机制的海床土质条件,以及流体黏性对波能衰减的影响规律．      

Instability of sloshing motion in a vessel undergoing pivoted oscillations

Suspending a rectangular vessel partially filled with an inviscid fluid from a single rigid pivoting rod produces an interesting physical model for investigating the dynamic coupling between the fluid and vessel motion. The fluid motion is governed by the Euler equations relative to the moving frame of the vessel, and the vessel motion is given by a modified forced pendulum equation. The fully nonlinear, two-dimensional, equations of motion are derived and linearised for small-amplitude vessel and free-surface motions, and the natural frequencies of the system analysed. It is found that the linear problem exhibits an unstable solution if the rod length is shorter than a critical length which depends on the length of the vessel, the fluid height and the ratio of the fluid and vessel masses. In addition, we identify the existence of 1:1 resonances in the system where the symmetric sloshing modes oscillate with the same frequency as the coupled fluid/vessel motion. The implications of instability and resonance on the nonlinear problem are also briefly discussed.     

The behaviour of a simple pendulum with uniformly shortening string length

Whilst watching the loading of a ship by crane it is often observed that the cargo shifts abruptly during the lifting stage. In order to try to understand this kind of behaviour the motion of a simple undamped pendulum, which is being shortened at a constant speed, is determined. It is found that the tension in the string always increases initially from its static value and that this increase in tension is very large even when the initial angular speed is small. Finally, it is proved that the linearised approximation is most unsatisfactory even when the initial amplitude of the swing and the shortening rate are small.     

URANS simulations for a high-speed transom stern ship with breaking waves

An exploratory study of high-speed surface ship flows is performed to identify modelling and numerical issues, to test the predictive capability of an unsteady RANS method for such flows, to explain flow features observed experimentally, and to document results obtained in conjunction with the 2005 ONR Wave Breaking Workshop. Simulations are performed for a high-speed transom stern ship (R/V Athena I) at three speeds Froude number (Fr) = 0.25, 0.43 and 0.62 with the URANS code CFDSHIP-IOWA, which utilizes a single-phase level set method for free surface modelling. The two largest Fr are considered to be high-speed cases and exhibit strong breaking plunging bow waves. Structured overset grids are used for local refinement of the unsteady transom flow at medium speed and for small scale breaking bow and transom waves at high-speeds. All simulations are performed in a time accurate manner and an examination of time histories of resistance and free surface contours is used to assess the degree to which the solutions reach a steady state. The medium speed simulation shows a classical steady Kelvin wave pattern without breaking and a wetted naturally unsteady transom flow with shedding of vortices from the transom corner. At higher speeds, the solutions reach an essentially steady state and display intense bow wave breaking with repeated reconnection of the plunging breaker with the free surface, resulting in multiple free surface scars. The high-speed simulations also show a dry transom and an inboard breaking wave, followed by outboard breaking waves downstream. In comparison to an earlier dataset, resistance is well predicted over the three speeds. The free surface predictions are compared with recent measurements at the two lowest speeds and show good agreement for both non-breaking and breaking waves.     

Internal and inertial waves in a viscous rotating stratified fluid

The effects of viscosity on the propagation of a St. Andrew's cross wave which is generated by a simple-harmonic localized disturbance in a rotating stratified fluid are considered. A similarity solution of the linearised equations shows that the velocities decay and that the wave width increases away from the disturbance. Previous solutions in a stratified non-rotating fluid are recovered by letting the rotation tend to zero. The solutions are also valid in the limit of a homogeneous rotating fluid. Further solutions for waves in a realistic ocean and in an isothermal atmosphere on a rotating Earth are also included.