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Instabilities of finite-amplitude water waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2006

John W. McLean
John W. McLean
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, Redondo Beach, California, CA 90278
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Abstract

A numerical investigation of normal-mode perturbations of a finite-amplitude Stokes wave has revealed regions of instability lying near resonance curves given by the linear-dispersion relation. It is found that, for small amplitude, the dominant instability is two-dimensional (of Benjamin-Fier type) but, for larger amplitudes, the dominant instability becomes a three-dimensional perturbation. Results are compared with recent experimental observations of steep wave trains.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 114 , January 1982 , pp. 315 - 330
Copyright
© 1972 Cambridge University Press

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