WAVE MECHANICS References • Pse read the vey good Layman Introduction to Ocean Waves – “Ocean Waves” 1959, Scientific American
• The paper has been uploaded to Course
Website under Reading Material How are Waves Generated
Wind /Seismic/Tidal Waves
Wave generation • Waves generated by a ship or any other floating structure which is moving, either at a constant forward speed or by carrying out an oscillatory motion. • Waves generated by the interaction between wind and the sea surface. • Waves generated by astronomical forces: Tides. • Waves generated by earthquakes or submarine landslides: Tsunamis.
• No single mathematical solution
• Approximations required: be aware of simplifications Wind Generated Waves Wind generated wave systems • The size of the wave system is dependent on the following factors • Wind Strength (Wind Speed) : – The faster the wind speed, the larger the energy transfer to the sea. – Larger waves are generated by strong winds. • Wind Duration : – The longer wind blows, the greater the time the sea has to become fully developed at that wind speed. • Water Depth : – Wave heights are affected by water depth. – Waves traveling to beach will turn into breaking wave by a depth effect. • Fetch – Fetch is the area of water that is being influenced by the wind. – The larger the fetch, the more efficient the energy transfer between wind and sea. Wave creation sequence
W Small Wave or dying out
ind En (Wind energy <Dissipation Energy) er g Ripple y (high freq.) Fully Developed Wave (Wind energy =Dissipation Energy) Energy Dissipation due to viscous friction Wind energy >Dissipation Energy
Swell (low frequency long wave)
Wind-generated waves • Sea – Train of waves driven by the prevailing local wind field – Short-crested with the lengths of the crests only a few (2-3) times the apparent wavelength – Very irregular – Multi-directional – Crests are fairly sharp – Apparent wave period & apparent wave length vary continuously Wind-generated waves • Swell – Waves which have propagated out of the area and local wind in which they were generated – No longer dependent upon the wind – Individual waves are more regular and the crests are more rounded – Lengths of the crests are longer: several (6-7) times the virtual wave length – Wave height is more predictable Wind Classification and Sea State Fully Developed Seas at Given Wind Speeds Conditions Necessary for a Fully Developed Sea at Given Wind Speeds, and the Parameters of the Resulting Waves Wind Conditions Wave Size Wind Average Speed in Wind Average Average Fetch Period and One Duration Height Wavelength Speed Direction 3.0 sec 19 km/h 19 km 2 hr 0.27 m 8.5 m 9.3 ft/sec 5.7 sec 37 km/h 139 km ( 10 hr 1.5 m 33.8 m 19.5 ft/sec 8.6 sec 56 km/h 518 km 23 hr 4.1 m 76.5 m 29.2 ft/sec 11.4 sec 74 km/h 1,313 km 42 hr 8.5 136 m 39.1 ft/sec 14.3 sec 92 km/h 2,627 km 69 hr 14.8 m 212.2 m 48.7 ft/sec Wind Wave Generation Because the air velocity is relatively small, the air flow is laminar. This laminar air flow simply drags the water particles on the free surface in the direction of the flow due to the viscosities of both the air and water. This air flow produces no wave When the speed of the air increases such that the flow in the boundary layer adjacent to the free surface is turbulent, then the pressure fluctuations on the free surface beneath the turbulent air flow deform the free surface, and small waves are created. These waves are called capillary waves, and have a profile similar to that shown.
We see that the crest of the wave is
broad, while the trough of the wave is narrow. The cause of this rather odd wave profile is the surface tension, which is the dominant force. Capillary waves travel in the direction of the air flow because of the shear stress on the free surface. For most engineering problems involving water waves, capillary waves are of little significance because of their low energy content. As the air speed increases, the energy in the air turbulence increases as does that of the surface shear stress. The air flow can now be referred to as a wind rather than a breeze. The water converts the energies transferred to it by wind turbulence and shear stress into longer waves having sinusoidal profiles, as sketched in Figure . These sinusoidal waves are called linear waves because they can be analyzed using linearized equations, as discussed in the next section. One of the linear properties of the waves is that of superposition, that is, linear waves of different heights (H) and lengths (λ) can be combined to form other wave profiles When the wind speed increases further, both the height of the wave and the wavelength increase due to the horizontal pressure gradient resulting from the separation of the air flow on the leeward side of the wave. The altered profile has a narrow crest and a broad trough, as sketched in Figure. We note that the mean-water level (MWL) – the mean way between the crest and trough – is above the still- water level (SWL). The reason for this is that volumes of water above and below the SWL must be equal.
Waves having a profile similar to that in Figure are
called nonlinear waves because their properties can no longer be well predicted using linearized equations. A further increase in the wind speed can produce breaking waves, as sketched in Figure. A break is defined as the condition where the horizontal water-particle velocity at the crest equals the wave velocity (c). The profile of a breaking wave has a pointed crest and a broad trough. After the wave breaks, the wind can shear off the crest, producing foamy white water that spills down the leeward side of the wave. This white-water spill is called a white cap. Classification Of Waves • Deep Water Waves
• Shallow Water Waves
Basic Categories • Deep water waves (short waves) – The water is considered to be deep if the water depth, h, is more than half the wavelength, – Thus, h/ > 1/2 or /h < 2 – These (relatively) short waves do not ’feel’ the sea floor. • Shallow water waves (long waves) – The water is considered to be shallow if the water depth, h, is less than 1/20 of the wave length, – Thus, h/ < 1/20 or /h > 20. – The sea floor has a very large influence on the characteristics of these (relatively) long waves. SEISMIC WAVES & TIDAL WAVES Tsunami Tsunami • Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions • Long High Energy Wave – Lw ~ 200 Kms – V ~ 800 Kmh Tidal Waves • Gravity and centrifugal force act to produce two bulges on opposite sides of the Earth. • Gravity pulls water toward Moon • Reduced gravitational force on side opposite the moon allows centrifugal forces to pull water outward. • Earth’s rotation under the tidal bulge produces the rise and fall of tides over approximately 1 day • Tidal Day = 24h + 50min; additional 50 minutes to due motion of the moon • The tidal wave has wavelength (L) on the order of 1/2 the circumference of the earth or about 20,000 km • A wave will behave as a shallow water wave when depth < L/20 —in this case, for depth < 1000 km. • Since ocean bottom depths are typically only about 4 km, it is safe to assume that a tide wave is a shallow-water wave everywhere Wave Terminology Regular Waves: Definitions