Abstract |
An experimental study of wind-generated waves was carried out in a wind-wave channel under the laboratory conditions with and without pressure gradients. A series of experiments was first conducted by the boundary layer measurement over a smooth solid surface as a survey of the flow characteristics of the channel as well as a basis of reference for the wind waves. A steady, two-dimensional wind with a maximum speed of 38 feet per second was established. The fully-developed equilibrium water wave was obtained at a depth of 7-5/8 inches and at a fetch distance of 30 feet. The following pertinent quantities were derived from the wind-wave experiment: the profiles of mean velocity and turbulent intensity of wind, the deviation of mean surface from the undisturbed surface of water, the standard deviation of water surface, the energy density spectrum of wind waves and the dominant wave. (Author) |