EFFECTS OF WAVES ON THE BOUNDARY LAYER OF A SURFACE-PIERCING BODY

The boundary layer development upon a body that intersects a free surface can be greatly influenced by the presence of free-surface gravity waves. In particular, waves of sufficient steepness induce, near the free surface, a region of flow separation that is otherwise absent. This significantly modifies both the viscous and wave- resistance components, making this a problem of considerable engineering importance. In spite of this, very little detailed experimental or rigorous theoretical work has been done on the problem, according to the author. In this exposition he describes investigations he carried out to fill that gap in knowledge.