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The interaction between capillary waves and a current and wave decay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2006

F. Y. Sorrell  and
G. V. Sturm
F. Y. Sorrell
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
G. V. Sturm
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh Present address: University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
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Abstract

Results of experiments on capillary-wave decay and energy transfer to mean currents are presented. The conditions investigated were those of a progressive wave train propagating on still water, on a constant current and on a spatially varying current. The waves were generated by either a mechanical or a pneumatic wave maker and the wave maker usually excited cross-wave motion. Thus the study also provides data on cross-wave generation and growth under these conditions. In particular these results indicate that the cross-waves obtain energy from a constant current as well as a spatially varying current. The progressive-wave energy was separated from that in the cross-waves by spatial averaging. When this is done the wave-current interaction and wave decay can be described by a first-order theory which includes viscous dissipation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 81 , Issue 2 , 24 June 1977 , pp. 241 - 256
Copyright
© 1977 Cambridge University Press

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