Measurement of skin friction distribution along the surface of wind waves

Abstract

Measurements of local values of the skin friction have been made at many points along the surface of representative wind wave crests in a wind wave tunnel, by use of the distortion of hydrogen-bubble lines. The results obtained at 2.85-m fetch under 6.2 m s⁻¹ mean wind speed show that the intensity of the skin friction varies greatly along the surface of wind waves as a function of the phase angle. It increases rather continuously at the windward surface toward the crest, attains a value of about 12 dyn cm⁻² near the crest, decreases suddenly just past the crest, and the value at the lee surface is substantially zero Values of the skin friction thus determined along the representative wind waves give an average value of 3.6 dyn cm⁻², rather exceeding the overall stress value of 3.0 dyn cm⁻², which has been estimated from the wind profile. The results are interpreted as that the skin friction bears most of the shearing stress of wind, and that it exerts most intensively around the representative wave crests at their windward faces.