The Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club had an opportunity to create a "play place" in the Yukon River. They proposed to use rocks piled to create a series of standing waves that could be surfed. The ES class wanted to simulate wave and flow dynamics in the Yukon River. We constructed a model of the River Bed. This model consists of a continuous circuit in which a sump pump is used to pump water into a tank feeding a 2.4 meter trough simulating a cross section of the river. This trough had one side made from plexiglass so that the water flow could be observed in cross section. The trough could be set at different angles to simulate different flow rates. This model was used to gain an understanding of how certain variables created different kinds of waves and flows. These variables were:
By modifying these variables we were able to determine which environment created the best surf waves . The first data set that was collected simulated a river with a flow velocity of 1.3 meters/second with a riverbed angle of 3 degrees. Three photos illustrate show the reaction of water to three basic shapes outline before. The second data set that was collected simulated a river with a flow velocity of 1.3 meters/second shows our best wave models. Two photos illustrate the shapes that we found created the best surf waves. |