DEVELOPMENT OF THE WAVE CONTOURING RAFT.

The wave contouring raft system is the outcome of ideas initiated and developed by Sir Christopher Cockerell from 1972 onwards. His objective was to develop a wave energy device which is within the bounds of current technology. It should consist of simple, relatively small units, amenable to quantity production, which would enable a power generating system to be built up and commissioned in stages according to needs and production capability. This thinking led to the investigation of chains of pontoons, hinged together so that the passage of a wave down the chain causes the pontoons to oscillate relative to one another. Energy is extracted from the sea by applying a torque about the hinges to damp the motion. The work has involved extensive model testing in wave tanks and the building and testing of a 3-unit 1/10 scale power generating installation in the Solent, as well as design studies for a full size installation for Atlantic conditions.

Wave digital filter model of the entire auditory periphery

A model of the auditory periphery assembled from analog network submodels of all the relevant anatomical structures is described. There is bidirectional coupling between networks representing the outer ear, middle ear and cochlea. A simple voltage source representation of the outer hair cells provides level-dependent basilar membrane curves. The networks are translated into efficient computational modules by means of wave digital filtering. A feedback unit regulates the average firing rate at the output of an inner hair cell module via a simplified modelling of the dynamics of the descending paths to the peripheral ear. This leads to a digital model of the entire auditory periphery with applications to both speech and hearing research.

Recent progress in high-bit-rate applications of four-wave-mixing in SOAs

Non-linearities in semiconductor optical amplifiers have been used to demonstrate a wide range of functions applicable to future optical networks such as wavelength conversion and optical switching. Four-wave-mixing effects in SOAs have been studied extensively in many laboratories with respect to the underlying physical processes and system applications. At BT Labs an optimization of SOAs for FWM has been achieved by altering the device active layer composition and by increasing the device length. We will review recent progress at BT Labs in dispersion compensation, wavelength conversion and demultiplexing at bit-rates of 40 Gbit/s using these devices.

The wave transmission coefficients and coupling loss factors of point connected structures

This analysis is concerned with the calculation of the elastic wave transmission coefficients and coupling loss factors between an arbitrary number of structural components that are coupled at a point. A general approach to the problem is presented and it is demonstrated that the resulting coupling loss factors satisfy reciprocity. A key aspect of the method is the consideration of cylindrical waves in two-dimensional components, and this builds upon recent results regarding the energetics of diffuse wavefields when expressed in cylindrical coordinates. Specific details of the method are given for beam and thin plate components, and a number of examples are presented. © 2002 Acoustical Society of America.

Recent progress in high-bit-rate applications of four-wave-mixing in SOAs

Non-linearities in semiconductor optical amplifiers have been used to demonstrate a wide range of functions applicable to future optical networks such as wavelength conversion and optical switching. Four-wave-mixing effects in SOAs have been studied extensively in many laboratories with respect to the underlying physical processes and system applications. At BT Labs an optimisation of SOAs for FWM has been achieved by altering the device active layer composition and by increasing the device length. We will review recent progress at BT Labs in dispersion compensation, wavelength conversion and demultiplexing at bit-rates of 40Gbit/s using these devices.

An efficient frequency-domain algorithm for wave scattering problems with application to jet noise

This paper presents a pseudo-time-step method to calculate a (vector) Green function for the adjoint linearised Euler equations as a scattering problem in the frequency domain, for use as a jet-noise propagation prediction tool. A method of selecting the acoustics-related solution in a truncated spatial domain while suppressing any possible shear-layer-type instability is presented. Numerical tests for 3-D axisymmetrical parallel mean flows against semi-analytical reference solutions indicate that the new iterative algorithm is capable of producing accurate solutions with modest computational requirements.

Evaluation of wave drag reduction by flow control

An analytical expression is proposed to estimate the wave drag of an aerofoil equipped with shock control. The analysis extends the conventional approach for a single normal shock wave, based on the knowledge that all types of successful shock control on transonic aerofoils cause bifurcated λ-shock structures. The influence of surface curvature on the λ-shock structure has been taken into account. The extended method has been found to produce fairly good agreement with the results obtained by CFD methods while requiring negligible computational effort. This new formulation is expected to be beneficial in the industrial design process of transonic aerofoils and wings where a large number of computational simulations have to be performed.

An experimental study of unsteady separated shock wave boundary layer interactions

An experimental investigation of the unsteady interaction between a turbulent boundary layer and a normal shock wave of strength M∞ = 1.4 subject to periodic forcing in a parallel walled duct has been conducted. Emphasis has been placed on the mechanism by which changes in the global flow field influence the local interaction structure. Static pressure measurements and high speed Schlieren images of the unsteady interaction have been obtained. The pressure rise across the interaction and the appearance of the local SBLI structure have been observed to vary during the cycle of periodic shock wave motion. The magnitude of the pressure rise across the interaction is found to be related to the relative Mach number of the unsteady shock wave as it undergoes periodic motion. Variations in the upstream Influence of the interaction are sensitive to the magnitude and direction of shock wave velocity and acceleration and it is proposed that a viscous lag exists between the point of boundary layer separation and the shock wave position. Further work exploring the implications of these findings is proposed, including studies of the variation in position of the points of boundary layer separation and reattachment.

Micro-ramp control for oblique shock wave / boundary layer interactions

Supersonic engine intakes operating supercritically feature shock wave / boundary layer interactions (SBLIs), which are conventionally controlled using boundary layer bleed. The momentum loss of bleed flow causes high drag, compromising intake performance. Micro-ramp sub-boundary layer vortex generators (SBVGs) have been proposed as an alternative form of flow control for oblique SBLIs in order to reduce the bleed requirement. Experiments have been conducted at Mach 2.5 to characterise the flow details on such devices and investigate their ability to control the interaction between an oblique shock wave and the naturally grown turbulent boundary layer on the tunnel floor. Micro-ramps of four sizes with heights ranging from 25% to 75% of the uncontrolled boundary layer thickness were tested. The flow over all sizes of microramp was found to be similar, featuring streamwise counter-rotating vortices which entrain high momentum fluid, locally reducing the boundary layer displacement thickness. When installed ahead of the shock interaction it was found that the positioning of the micro-ramps is of limited importance. Micro-ramps did not eliminate flow separation. However, the previously two-dimensional separation was broken up into periodic three-dimensional separation zones. The interaction length was reduced and the pressure gradient across the interaction was increased.

Tsunami wave loading on coastal houses: A model approach

The Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004 killed over 220 000 people and devastated coastal structures, including many thousands of traditional brick-built homes. This paper presents the results of model tests that compare the impact of a tsunami wave on a typical coastal house with that on a new tsunami resistant design developed in the USA and now built in Sri Lanka Digital images recorded during the test reveal how the tsunami wave passed through the new house design without damaging it but severely damaged the typical coastal house. Pressure sensor results also provided further insight into tsunami wave loading, indicating that the established Japanese method significantly underestimates maximum impact load.

A single all-optical processor for multiple spectral amplitude code label recognition using four wave mixing

We propose a novel label processor which can recognize multiple spectral-amplitude-code labels using four-wave-mixing sidebands and selective optical filtering. Ten code-labels x 10 Gbps variable-length packets are transmitted over a 200 km single-hop switched network.

Wave energy emulator and AC/DC rectifiers for direct drive wave energy converters

This paper describes a solid state electrical emulator devised for laboratory testing of power conditioning electronics for direct drive linear wave energy converters (DDLWEC). Two rectification strategies are considered; a uni-directional boost topology, and an H-bridge which may be controlled in either uni- or bidirectional modes.