Experimental Generation of Solitary Waves by a Thin Bump Traveling on Sea Bed

Abstract

This study experimentally investigated characteristics of solitary waves that were generated by a thin bump horizontally traveling at a constant speed on sea bottom. The upper surface of the bump was convex shape having the maximum amplitude of 0.67 cm at its center. The bump was pulled at a varying speed for 7.5 m from the initial position and then abruptly stopped. The corresponding Froude number (F-r) ranged from 1.04, to 1.36. By analyzing the experimental data, three regimes of solitary wave generation were identified solely depending on the traveling speed of the bump, with a threshold value of F-r = 1.22. These results are in general well matched with previous researches on the generation of solitary waves by a pressure disturbance that moves either on the water surface or inside the water.