Development of a Wind–Wave Coherence Function Based on Numerical Studies

Abstract

The synchronization and intensity of fluctuating wind speeds and wave surfaces in wind–wave joint propagation processes are affected by the coherence of the marine ambient factors of fluctuating wind and random waves. This coherence further affects the precise calculations of wind–wave joint actions on marine structures. Therefore, a wind–wave joint propagation numerical flume was established based on the numerical simulation of random waves and fluctuating wind fields. A series of numerical simulations of wind–wave joint propagations were carried out. Based on the numerical results, the influences and influence laws of factors such as wind speed position height, significant wave height and wave spectrum peak frequency on the wind–wave coherence values were studied. According to the influence characteristics of these factors, a function of wind–wave coherence values for random wind–wave joint propagation was calculated. The coherence function takes frequency as the variable, while parameters include significant wave height, wind speed position height and wave spectrum peak frequency. Through a series of numerical simulation results, data fitting was used to calculate the parameter coefficients of the coherence function. The established random wind–wave coherence function can be described using the wind–wave joint fields of marine structures and the computational analyses of structural wind–wave joint actions.

Keywords

• fluctuating wind speed
• random wave
• wind–wave coherence
• wind–wave joint propagation
• numerical flume
• wind–wave coherence function