Abstract

Internal waves are prominent fluid phenomena in both the atmosphere and ocean. Because internal waves have the ability to transfer a large amount of energy, they contribute to the global distribution of energy. This causes internal waves to influence global climate patterns and critical ocean mixing. Therefore, studying internal waves provides additional insight in how to model geophysical phenomena that directly impact our lives. There is a myriad of fluid phenomena with which internal waves can interact, including other internal waves. Equipment and processes are developed to perform laboratory experiments analyzing the interaction of two colliding nonresonant internal waves. Nonresonant interactions have not been a major focus in previous research. The goal of this study is to visualize the flow field, compare qualitative results to Tabaei et al., and determine the energy partition to the second-harmonic for eight unique interaction configurations. When two non-resonant internal waves collide, harmonics are formed at the sum and difference of multiples of the colliding waves' frequencies. In order to create the wave-wave interaction, two identical wave generators were designed and manufactured. The interaction flow field is visualized using synthetic schlieren and the energy entering and leaving the interaction region is analyzed. It is found that the energy partitioned to the harmonics is much more dependent on the general direction the colliding waves approach each other than on the angle. Depending on the configurations, between 0.5 and 7 percent of the energy within the colliding waves is partitioned to the second-harmonics. Interactions in which the colliding waves have opposite signed vertical wavenumber partition much more energy to the harmonics. Most of the energy entering the interaction is dissipated by viscous forces or leaves the interaction within the colliding waves. For all eight configurations studied, 5 to 8 percent of the energy entering the interaction has an unknown fate.

Degree

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Mechanical Engineering

Rights

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