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Description:
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The Hayes Coastal Engineering Laboratory is a new laboratory with two water basins : a 45 .72 -meters long , 3 .66 meters wide and 3 .06 meters deep Tow Tank with sediment pit for dredging and current flow studies , and a 36 .58 meters long , 22 .86 meters wide and 1 .22 meters deep 3D Wave Basin for coastal wave studies . In order to assess the capabilities of the lab a series of tests were done in both tanks . Hydrodynamic tests in the Tow Tank using a Micro Acoustic Doppler Velociometer measured current flow in the tank and assessed the efficacy of different filters to stabilize flow patterns . A concrete dam structure installed near the reversed diffusers most effectively stabilized flow of all the configurations tested . Wave tests were conducted in the 3D Wave Basin with the newly -installed 48 paddle Rexroth wave generator at 0 .5 and 1 .0 meter water depths using wired and wireless capacitance wave gauges . These tests measured characteristics of the generated waves and reflection from the rubble -mound beach . In addition , initial testing of the Active Reflection Absorber (ARA ) system was done . Correlating the wave data to the theoretical wave being produced showed that with water depth of 0 .5 meters the 0 .1 meter waves were well -formed , but the 0 .2 meter waves showed energy loss and lower correlation . The results from one meter water depth wave tests showed good formation of 0 .2 meter waves . In nearly all wave tests with pool buoys installed the waves were better formed with good correlation and a better fitting power spectrum . The beach reflection was within the expected value range , being ten percent and below for most tests . ARA , while operational , needs to be further tuned to find the settings that will increase its effectiveness . |