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Experiments on ripple instabilities. Part 1. Resonant triads
- Diane M. Henderson, Joseph L. Hammack
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 184 / November 1987
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 April 2006, pp. 15-41
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Water waves for which both gravitation and surface tension are important (ripples) exhibit a variety of instabilities. Here, experimental results are presented for ripple wavetrains on deep water with frequencies greater than 19.6 Hz where a continuum of resonant triad interactions are dynamically admissible. The experimental wave-trains are indeed unstable, and the instability becomes more pronounced as non-linearity is increased. The unstable wavefield is characterized by significant spatial disorder while temporal measurements at fixed spatial locations remain quite ordered. In fact, for most experiments temporal measurements suggest that a selection process exists in which a single triad dominates evolution. The dominant triad typically does not involve a subharmonic frequency of the generated wave and persists over a wide range of amplitudes for the initial wave. Viscosity does not appear to be important in the selection process; however, it may be responsible for the lack of subsequent triad production by the excited waves of the initial triad. The presence of a selection process contradicts previous conjecture, based on the form of the interaction coefficients, that a broad-banded spectrum of waves should occur. The general absence of subharmonic growth also contradicts previously reported experiments. Results are also presented for wavetrains at the parametric boundary of 19.6 Hz and a degenerate case of resonant triads at 9.8 Hz (Wilton's ripples). In addition to resonant triads, the experiments show evidence of (generally) weaker narrow-band interactions.
The Korteweg-de Vries equation and water waves. Part 3. Oscillatory waves
- Joseph L. Hammack, Harvey Segur
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 84 / Issue 2 / 30 January 1978
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 April 2006, pp. 337-358
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Water-wave experiments are presented showing the evolution of finite amplitude waves in relatively shallow water when no solitons are present. In each case, the initial wave is rectangular in shape and wholly below the still water level; the amplitude of the wave is varied. The asymptotic solution of the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation in the absence of solitons (Ablowitz & Segur 1976) is compared with observed evolution. In addition, the asymptotic solution of the linearized KdV equation (a linear dispersive model) is compared with both the KdV solution and experiments. This comparison is a natural consequence of the fact that, in the absence of solitons, the asymptotic solutions of the KdV equation and its linearized version are qualitatively similar. Both the experiments and the model equations suggest that the asymptotic wave structure consists of a negative triangular wave, travelling with a speed (gh)½, followed by a train of modulated oscillatory waves which travel more slowly. Quantitative comparisons are made for the amplitude, shape and decay rate of the leading wave and the amplitude, dominant wavenumbers and velocities of the trailing wave groups. Over the parameter range of the experiments, asymptotic KdV theory predicts more closely the observed behaviour. The leading wave is observed to decay more rapidly than the trailing wave groups; hence the leading wave becomes less prominent with time. This is in agreement with the KdV solution, whereas just the opposite is predicted by linear theory. Linear predictions for the trailing wave groups are accurate only when they agree with the KdV predictions. Both models predict the evolution of short waves in the trailing wave region. When the short waves are unstable (k gt; 1·36), either group disintegration or focusing into envelope solitons is possible. Both of these phenomena are observed in the experiments; neither is predicted by long-wave models. The nonlinear Schrödinger equation is reviewed and tested as a model of these unstable wave groups. There is some evidence that the KdV equation and the nonlinear Schrödinger equation can be patched together to provide an asymptotic description of these unstable groups.
Modelling criteria for long water waves
- Joseph L. Hammack, Harvey Segur
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 84 / Issue 2 / 30 January 1978
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 April 2006, pp. 359-373
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Model equations which describe the evolution of long-wave initial data in water of uniform depth are tested to determine explicit criteria for their applicability. We consider linear and nonlinear, dispersive and non-dispersive equations. Separate criteria emerge for the leading wave and trailing oscillations of the evolving wave train. The evolution of the leading wave depends on two parameters: the volume (non-dimensional) of the initial data and an Ursell number based on the amplitude and length of the initial data. The magnitudes of these two parameters determine the appropriate model equation and its time of validity. For the trailing oscillatory waves, a local Ursell number based on the amplitude of the initial data and the local wavelength determines the appropriate model equation. Finally, these modelling criteria are applied to the problem of tsunami propagation. Asymptotic (t → ∞) linear dispersive theory does not appear to be applicable for describing the leading wave of tsunamis. If the length of the initial wave is approximately 100 miles, the leading wave is described by a linear non-dispersive model from the source region until shoaling occurs near the coastline. For smaller lengths (∼ 40 miles) a linear dispersive (but not asymptotic) model is applicable. The longer-period oscillatory waves following the leading wave, which can induce harbour resonance, apparently require a nonlinear dispersive model.
The Korteweg-de Vries equation and water waves. Part 2. Comparison with experiments
- Joseph L. Hammack, Harvey Segur
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 65 / Issue 2 / 28 August 1974
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 March 2006, pp. 289-314
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The Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation is tested experimentally as a model for moderate amplitude waves propagating in one direction in relatively shallow water of uniform depth. For a wide range of initial data, comparisons are made between the asymptotic wave forms observed and those predicted by the theory in terms of the number of solitons that evolve, the amplitude of the leading soliton, the asymptotic shape of the wave and other qualitative features. The KdV equation is found to predict accurately the number of evolving solitons and their shapes for initial data whose asymptotic characteristics develop in the test section of the wave tank. The accuracy of the leading-soliton amplitudes computed by the KdV equation could not be conclusively tested owing to the viscous decay of the measured wave amplitudes; however, a procedure is presented for estimating the decay in amplitude of the leading wave. Computations suggest that the KdV equation predicts the amplitude of the leading soliton to within the expected error due to viscosity (12%) when the non-decayed amplitudes are less than about a quarter of the water depth. Indeed, agreement to within about 20% is observed over the entire range of experiments examined, including those with initial data for which the non-decayed amplitudes of the leading soliton exceed half the fluid depth.
A note on tsunamis: their generation and propagation in an ocean of uniform depth
- Joseph L. Hammack
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 60 / Issue 4 / 9 October 1973
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 March 2006, pp. 769-799
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The waves generated in a two-dimensional fluid domain of infinite lateral extent and uniform depth by a deformation of the bounding solid boundary are investigated both theoretically and experimentally. An integral solution is developed for an arbitrary bed displacement (in space and time) on the basis of a linear approximation of the complete (nonlinear) description of wave motion. Experimental and theoretical results are presented for two specific deformations of the bed; the spatial variation of each bed displacement consists of a block section of the bed moving vertically either up or down while the time-displacement history of the block section is varied. The presentation of results is divided into two sections based on two regions of the fluid domain: a generation region in which the bed deformation occurs and a downstream region where the bed position remains stationary for all time. The applicability of the linear approximation in the generation region is investigated both theoretically and experimentally; results are presented which enable certain gross features of the primary wave leaving this region to be determined when the magnitudes of parameters which characterize the bed displacement are known. The results indicate that the primary restriction on the applicability of the linear theory during the bed deformation is that the total amplitude of the bed displacement must remain small compared with the uniform water depth; even this restriction can be relaxed for one type of bed motion.
Wave behaviour in the downstream region of the fluid domain is discussed with emphasis on the gradual growth of nonlinear effects relative to frequency dispersion duringpropagationand the subsequent breakdown of the linear theory. A method is presented for finding the wave behaviour in the far field of the downstream region, where the effects of nonlinearities and frequency dispersion have become about equal. This method is based on the use of a model equation in the far field (which includes both linear and nonlinear effects in an approximate manner) first used by Peregrine (1966) and morerecently advocated by Ben jamin, Bona & Mahony (1972) as a preferable model to the more commonly used equation of Korteweg & de Vries (1895). An input-output approach is illustrated for the numerical solution of this equation where the input is computed from the linear theory in its region of applicability. Computations are presented and compared with experiment for the case of a positive bed displacement where the net volume of the generated wave is finite and positive; the results demonstrate the evolution of a train of solitary waves (solitons) ordered by amplitude followed by a dispersive train of oscillatory waves. The case of a negative bed displacement in which the net wave volume is finite and negative (and the initial wave is negative almost everywhere) is also investigated; the results suggest that only a dispersive train of waves evolves (no solitons) for this case.
Progressive waves with persistent two-dimensional surface patterns in deep water
- JOSEPH L. HAMMACK, DIANE M. HENDERSON, HARVEY SEGUR
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 532 / 10 June 2005
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 27 May 2005, pp. 1-52
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Experiments are conducted to generate progressive wave fields in deep water with two-dimensional surface patterns for which two parameters are systematically varied: (i) the aspect ratio of the cells comprising the surface patterns and (ii) a measure of nonlinearity of the input wave field. The goal of these experiments is to determine whether these patterns persist, what their main features are, whether standard models of waves describe these features, and whether there are parameter regimes in which the patterns are stable. We find that in some parameter regimes, surface patterns in deep water do persist with little change of form during the time of the experiment. In other parameter regimes, particularly for large-amplitude experiments, the patterns evolve more significantly. We characterize the patterns and their evolutions with a list of observed features. To describe the patterns and features, we consider two models: ($a$) the standard ($2+1$) nonlinear Schrödinger equation and ($b$) coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations for two interacting wavetrains. Exact solutions of these models provide qualitative explanations for many of the observed features.