STEEP AND BREAKING DEEP WATER WAVES

Many naval applications require a further basic understanding of surface wave hydrodynamics up to and beyond the onset of breaking, and of the energy and momentum transfer processes which take place during and after breaking. In the present paper is described a technique for the computation of steep asymmetric wave motions up to the incipient of onset stages of breaking. Comparisons are made with related computational schemes and then the method is used for a study of limiting wave conditions and the onset of breaking. The computations are compared with recent measurements made at NRL and elsewhere of the limiting heights of deep water waves and the losses in potential energy density and momentum flux which accompany the breaking process. An estimate of the limiting wave height at breaking in deep water from the computational results is in good agreement with experiments described here. The potential energy and momentum flux loss rates of plunging breakers are about twice those of spilling breakers in deep water.