O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory
Encyclopedia
O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory is a research facility in Corvallis, Oregon
, United States
. Operated by Oregon State University
’s Coastal & Ocean Engineering Program within the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Built in 1972, the laboratory was designated as a tsunami research location by the National Science Foundation
in 2001. It contains two wave basins and a long wave flume. The Tsunami Wave Basin is the largest tsunami
simulator in the world.
for $8.6 million to examine wave structures, which helped to pay for the two new wave basins.
In 2001, the Wave Research Laboratory was awarded a $4.8 million grant to study tsunamis by the National Science Foundation. The remodeled portion of the facility, the Tsunami Wave Basin, was completed in 2003. In 2007, the foundation granted the laboratory $1.1 million to study storm surges and other waves related to hurricanes.
The first wave research equipment was the wave
flume
. It is 360 feet (109.7 m) long, 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep. It is used to simulate the waves of the ocean, and creates 5 feet (1.5 m) waves with currents strong enough to surf on. The wave flume holds up to 350,000 gallons of water. It can create both regular and irregular waves at intervals as short as .5 seconds apart. Research is mainly on the effect of waves on structures such as breakers. As the largest of this type of wave flume in North America
, it can also be used to study the transport of sediment
in the ocean.
A circular basin was added in 1990 to research the movement of sediment along beaches, among other research topics. It is also used to study ocean current
s. The Circular Wave Basin can create waves up to 2 foot (0.6096 m) in height in the 5 feet (1.5 m) deep structure that is 50 feet (15.2 m) in diameter.
The rectangular basin has 30 wave generators that can be used to simulate a storm in the controlled environment of the lab. In 2001, it was expanded to a size of 87 feet (26.5 m) by 160 feet (48.8 m) with a depth of 6.5 feet (2 m) to facilitate tsunami research. Research includes the effects of a tsunami on coastal population centers and possible survival options. The Tsunami Wave Basin was the first in the world dedicated to tsunami research, and is the largest and most advanced facility in the world. Additionally, the tsunami laboratory has a variety of above and below the water cameras, wave gauges, and microphones. They also operate a Tsunami Experimental Databank that allows other researchers to access video and data over the internet. Scientists work in collaboration with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Researchers from universities around the United States use the basin for tsunami wave simulations.
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Operated by Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
’s Coastal & Ocean Engineering Program within the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Built in 1972, the laboratory was designated as a tsunami research location by the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
in 2001. It contains two wave basins and a long wave flume. The Tsunami Wave Basin is the largest tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
simulator in the world.
History
Construction on the laboratory began in 1972. In 1973, the facility opened with the wave flume used to simulate the ocean waves. The circular wave and rectangular wave basins were both finished in 1990. That year the lab received a grant from the United States’ Office of Naval ResearchOffice of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
for $8.6 million to examine wave structures, which helped to pay for the two new wave basins.
In 2001, the Wave Research Laboratory was awarded a $4.8 million grant to study tsunamis by the National Science Foundation. The remodeled portion of the facility, the Tsunami Wave Basin, was completed in 2003. In 2007, the foundation granted the laboratory $1.1 million to study storm surges and other waves related to hurricanes.
Facility
Wave
In physics, a wave is a disturbance that travels through space and time, accompanied by the transfer of energy.Waves travel and the wave motion transfers energy from one point to another, often with no permanent displacement of the particles of the medium—that is, with little or no associated mass...
flume
Flume
A flume is an open artificial water channel, in the form of a gravity chute, that leads water from a diversion dam or weir completely aside a natural flow. Often, the flume is an elevated box structure that follows the natural contours of the land. These have been extensively used in hydraulic...
. It is 360 feet (109.7 m) long, 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep. It is used to simulate the waves of the ocean, and creates 5 feet (1.5 m) waves with currents strong enough to surf on. The wave flume holds up to 350,000 gallons of water. It can create both regular and irregular waves at intervals as short as .5 seconds apart. Research is mainly on the effect of waves on structures such as breakers. As the largest of this type of wave flume in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, it can also be used to study the transport of sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
in the ocean.
A circular basin was added in 1990 to research the movement of sediment along beaches, among other research topics. It is also used to study ocean current
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
s. The Circular Wave Basin can create waves up to 2 foot (0.6096 m) in height in the 5 feet (1.5 m) deep structure that is 50 feet (15.2 m) in diameter.
The rectangular basin has 30 wave generators that can be used to simulate a storm in the controlled environment of the lab. In 2001, it was expanded to a size of 87 feet (26.5 m) by 160 feet (48.8 m) with a depth of 6.5 feet (2 m) to facilitate tsunami research. Research includes the effects of a tsunami on coastal population centers and possible survival options. The Tsunami Wave Basin was the first in the world dedicated to tsunami research, and is the largest and most advanced facility in the world. Additionally, the tsunami laboratory has a variety of above and below the water cameras, wave gauges, and microphones. They also operate a Tsunami Experimental Databank that allows other researchers to access video and data over the internet. Scientists work in collaboration with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory is a laboratory in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration /Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research ....
operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
. Researchers from universities around the United States use the basin for tsunami wave simulations.