Mechanical Interaction of Sea Waves and Sea Bed

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract CTS-0075713 C. Mei, MIT The requested open-channel flume will be used, in the immediate future, for experimental studies of turbulent flow fields around bridge piers and the dynamics of turbulence in irregular breaking waves. This research will be fundamentally useful in its revelation of basic flow properties around bridge piers in rivers, and in surf zone waves. Improved descriptions of turbulent flows at piers and in breaking waves are critical to the development of accurate and efficient computational methods for pier scour and coastal processes. The proposed research will also provide the high quality data needed to test and improve detailed models of bridge-pier flows and surf zone hydrodynamics. This data set would go far beyond any comparable data set that is presently available, and it would be useful for testing a wide range of modeling techniques, including both present day models and models that are under long-range development in the future. The requested precision-tilting flume will be an important contribution to the modernization of the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at South Dakota State University. This laboratory is used cooperatively by all departments in the College of Engineering. In addition, cooperative programs at our collaborating institution at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will also utilize the requested flume for research and education. Such use will be enhanced because a remote operation system will enable researchers to run the flume and acquire instrumental data by computer through the Internet. Acquisition of the requested flume will therefore permit South Dakota faculty to carry out competitive instrumentation and more effectively compete for research funding. The corresponding increase in the amount of research support will enable South Dakota to attract and support capable graduate students and to provide research-training opportunities to undergraduate students. The integration of research and teaching will provide elevated education quality for South Dakota students. Furthermore, Internet-based remote access to equipment will enhance diversity and will enable institutions (e.g. tribal universities, two-year colleges and high schools) that do not have a Fluid Mechanics Laboratory to participate in projects and activities supported by the requested equipment.