Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T13:23:36.338Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The influence of surface tension on the reflection of water waves by a plane vertical barrier

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2008

D. V. Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, University of Manchester

Abstract

In this paper the effect of surface tension is included in a well-known problem in the theory of two-dimensional infinitesimal water waves. The problem is that of the reflection of waves from a fixed vertical barrier immersed to a depth a into deep water. It is shown how the solution for the velocity potential may be determined uniquely when simple assumptions are made concerning the behaviour of the free surface near the barrier. In particular, expressions are derived for the reflection coefficient, defined as the ratio of the amplitude of the reflected wave to that of the incident wave, at infinity, and the transmission coefficient, defined similarly. It is shown how these coefficients, for small values of the surface tension force, tend to the values obtained by Ursell (4) when surface tension is ignored. The related problem of a completely immersed vertical barrier extending to a distance a from the surface may be solved in a similar manner. Expressions for the reflection and transmission coefficients for this case are given.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge Philosophical Society 1968

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

(1)Evans, D. V.The effect of surface tension on the waves produced by a heaving circular cylinder. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 64 (1968), 833847.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2)John, F.Waves in the presence of an inclined barrier. Comm. Pure. Appl. Math. 1 (1948), 149200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(3)Lamb, H.Hydrodynamics, 6th ed. (Cambridge University Press, 1932).Google Scholar
(4)Ursell, F.The effect of a fixed vertical barrier on surface waves in deep water. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 43 (1947), 374382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(5)Watson, G. N.Bessel functions. 2nd ed. (Cambridge, 1944).Google Scholar
(6)Wehausen, J. V. and Laitone, E. Surface waves. Handbuch der Physik, vol. ix (Springer Verlag, 1960).Google Scholar