Scientific Visualization Gallery
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| Breaking Waves Data courtesy of Doug G. Dommermuth, Science Applications International Corporation. Visualization by Karla Vega, TACC. The visualization shows water flowing past a NACA 0024 airfoil that approximates a ship's hull. The simulation of complex free-surface phenomena such as breaking waves, spray sheets, and air entrainment play a key role in the design and operation of naval combatants. As a ship progresses through water, steep breaking waves are formed. Spray is shed along the crests of the breaking waves and also near the ship's bow where thin sheets of water form. Air is also entrained along the turbulent face of breaking waves and along the contact line where the free surface, which is the interface between the air and water, intersects the hull. These phenomena are among the most challenging problems in computational fluid dynamics today. |