EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION OF A BOW WAVE

摘要

In ows around ships, the bow wave can entrain asignificant amount of air as it breaks continuously onthe free surface. The resulting air bubbles persist inthe ship wake affecting its radar cross section as wellas acting as cavitation nuclei in the ow entering theship's propeller. In the present investigation, the for-mation of a bow wave on a ship was simulated in thelaboratory using a deecting plate in a supercritical freesurface ow. The experiments were conducted at twoscales. The present paper focuses on how the bow wavechanges with the angles and ow parameters, informa-tion which is a necessary prerequisite for understandingthe air entrainment process. Flow visualization studieswere performed and an electronic point gage was usedto study the three-dimensional shape of the bow wavesand the manner in which they break.