Wavetank

Objectives

In order to help our sponsors reach their goal of analyzing how rain droplets will affect mixture within waves and if it will affect the wave formations, we wanted to create a tank that produces waves that can be changed with a program to test the droplets in. 

Background

The interest in creating a wave tank began with our sponsor's research on how droplets mix in still water, as can be seen in Figure 1. The analysis of raindrops on waves holds significant importance to the understanding of the dynamics of both atmospheric and oceanic systems. Rainfall directly influences the surface of bodies of water, creating ripples and disturbances that can have far-reaching effects. Moreover, raindrops contribute to the mixing of surface waters, facilitating the exchange of gasses such as oxygen and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the ocean. This exchange is vital for marine ecosystems, as the mixing of the rain drops in the ocean can cause an impact on salinity and overall ocean chemistry. Additionally, the study of raindrops on waves has practical applications in fields such as marine engineering and coastal management. Professor Saha and Professor Hao used high speed cameras and lasers to capture images of droplets as they disperse through still water, as can be seen in Figure 2. With this, they were able to focus on the dispersion effects of the droplets. However, after successfully testing on still water, the focus then shifted to determining the effects of droplets on moving waves.

Project Objectives:

Design Requirements

• Tank

  • At least 1 meter in length

  • Transparent for optical clarity

  • Materials do not melt under high pulsed energy laser 

• Design and implement damping mechanism that will optimally dissipate waves from rebounding and affecting the waves that are generated

• Mechanism to produce waves

  • Waves: max 5 mm amplitude, 1-20 mm wavelength 

  • Amplitude(0.25 mm increment)

  • Input control of motor