Measurements of wave modulation and breaking

Abstract

To investigate the evolution of wave modulation and wave breaking, a series of elaborate experiments were conducted in a super wave flume (300 m × 5.0 m × 5.2 m) at Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory. Two wave trains of initial regular waves and initial imposed sidebands were generated by a wave maker with active wave absorption using an electro-hydraulic server feedback control system. The wave profiles were recorded by 66 high-resolution capacitance-type wave gauges positioned along the wave flume, and connected to a specially designed data acquisition system to collect a large number of parallel inputs in the long flume. Experimental data were obtained on wave modulation and related wave breaking. The long time evolution of the nonlinear wave train and the corresponding wave spectra are demonstrated for both breaking and non-breaking cases. Specifically, the periodic modulation and demodulation of wave train is observed at post-breaking stage.