WAVE EFFECT ON RADAR TOvCRS 



PART I 



Wave action was one of the major problems to overcome 



IN DESIGNING THE RADAR TOWERS FOR PERMANENT ANCHORING 



OFF THE Atlantic Coast. (n deciding the tower's pos- 

 ition, CONSIDERATION WAS GIVEN TO WAVE REFRACTION AND 

 diffusion (due to the shoal's shape) to MINIMIZE WAVE 

 EFFECT. 



In order to understand how calculations for WAVE effect 



WERE MADE, SOME IDEA OF THE OCEAN WAVE'S CHARACTERIS- 

 TICS WILL BE REQUIRED. 



The MOST common type of wave in the open sea is the 



WAVE caused by the WIND. WiND DOES NOT BLOW AT A 



constant velocity, but always in irregular gusts, and 

 these gusts subject the ocean surface to irregular 

 unequal pressures which deform it from a level surface 

 into one of troughs and crests. the size of ocean 

 waves depend upon the strength of wind, its' duration, 

 and the extent of open waters over which it blows. 



From observation it is found that the length of waves 

 are increased when the length of fetch, or length of 



the water TO WINDWARD, IS INCREASED. THE ENERGY OF A 

 WAVE . AND CONSEQUENTLY IT'S DESTRUCTIVE FORCE, DEPENDS 

 UPON it's length. HEIGHT AND VELOCITY. 



The length of a wave is the horizontal distance from 



TROUGH TO trough, OR FROM CREST TO CREST. 



The he ight of a wave is the vertical distance measured 



FROM the bottom OF THE TROUGH TO THE TOP OF THE CREST. 



The per iod of a wave is the time interval in seconds 

 between the passage of two successive crests past a 

 fixed point. 



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