Wave-induced boundary layer flows above and in a permeable bed

Abstract

In this paper, the oscillatory and steady streaming velocities over a permeable bed are studied both theoretically and experimentally. Three different sizes of glass beads are used to construct permeable beds in laboratory experiments: the diameters of the glass beads are 0.5 mm, 1.5 mm, and 3.0 mm, respectively. Several experiments are performed using different wave parameters. A one-component laser-doppler velocimeter (LDV) is used to measure the horizontal velocity component inside the Stokes boundary layer above the solid and permeable surfaces. It is observed that neither oscillatory nor steady velocity components vanish on the permeable surface. The ‘slip velocities’ increase with increasing permeability. Based on the laminar flow assumption and the order of magnitude of the parameters used in the experiments, a perturbation theory is developed for the oscillatory velocity and the steady wave-induced streaming in the boundary layers above and inside the permeable bed. The theory confirms many experimental observations. The theory also provides the damping rate and the phase changes caused by the permeable bed.