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CHAPTER 7. LABORATORY WAVE GENERATION
Soon the electrical motors driving the wave boards were replaced by
hydraulic servo-systems that gave engineers more control over the wave
board motion. This advance allowed simulation of two-dimensional irregular waves and cnoidal and solitary waves in wave tanks, and directional
irregular waves in basins equipped with programmable multi-segmented
“snake” wavemakers.
Many mechanical aspects of wave machines, along with the first-order
wavemaker theory, were presented in a series of French papers originally
published in La Houille Blanche. A common citation for these papers is
the English translation which collectively references the papers as Biésel
and Suquet (1954). Funke and Mansard1 (1987) provided an interesting
and thorough review of the history of laboratory wave generation.
1 This paper was the source of the quotation opening this chapter.
2English translation by M. Pilch.
This chapter covers numerous topics related to laboratory wave generation. Two-dimensional first-order wavemaker theory is presented with a
fair amount of detail for regular waves and a variety of wavemaker configurations. The chapter also includes:
• Generation of nonlinear Stokes waves, cnoidal waves, and
solitary waves
• Transient wave generation
• Synthesis and generation of two-dimensional irregular wave
trains
• Corrections for two-dimensional second-order lower and
higher harmonics
• Generation of oblique and multi-directional irregular waves
• Miscellaneous topics on laboratory wave generation
7.2 Two-Dimensional Governing Equations
A general theory for mechanical wave generation was presented by Havelock
(1929), and this is generally considered the foundation of wavemaker theory.
Theoretical investigations and practical aspects of piston-type and flaptype wavemakers were described by Biésel and Suquet in a series of articles
published in 1951 and early 1952 (Biésel and Suquet 19542).
Figure 7.1 is a schematic drawing of a two-dimensional wave flume with
a flat bottom and a wave board that moves in a combined rotating and
translating manner. The motion of an inviscid, irrotational fluid in such a
wave flume is described by the two-dimensional Laplace equation along with
CHAPTER 7. LABORATORY WAVE GENERATION
Soon the electrical motors driving the wave boards were replaced by
hydraulic servo-systems that gave engineers more control over the wave
board motion. This advance allowed simulation of two-dimensional irregular waves and cnoidal and solitary waves in wave tanks, and directional
irregular waves in basins equipped with programmable multi-segmented
“snake” wavemakers.
Many mechanical aspects of wave machines, along with the first-order
wavemaker theory, were presented in a series of French papers originally
published in La Houille Blanche. A common citation for these papers is
the English translation which collectively references the papers as Biésel
and Suquet (1954). Funke and Mansard1 (1987) provided an interesting
and thorough review of the history of laboratory wave generation.
1 This paper was the source of the quotation opening this chapter.
2English translation by M. Pilch.
This chapter covers numerous topics related to laboratory wave generation. Two-dimensional first-order wavemaker theory is presented with a
fair amount of detail for regular waves and a variety of wavemaker configurations. The chapter also includes:
• Generation of nonlinear Stokes waves, cnoidal waves, and
solitary waves
• Transient wave generation
• Synthesis and generation of two-dimensional irregular wave
trains
• Corrections for two-dimensional second-order lower and
higher harmonics
• Generation of oblique and multi-directional irregular waves
• Miscellaneous topics on laboratory wave generation
7.2 Two-Dimensional Governing Equations
A general theory for mechanical wave generation was presented by Havelock
(1929), and this is generally considered the foundation of wavemaker theory.
Theoretical investigations and practical aspects of piston-type and flaptype wavemakers were described by Biésel and Suquet in a series of articles
published in 1951 and early 1952 (Biésel and Suquet 19542).
Figure 7.1 is a schematic drawing of a two-dimensional wave flume with
a flat bottom and a wave board that moves in a combined rotating and
translating manner. The motion of an inviscid, irrotational fluid in such a
wave flume is described by the two-dimensional Laplace equation along with