GEOMETRY OF RIPPLES UNDER REGULAR AND IRREGULAR WAVES

In the present paper the results of an experimental campaign about ripples generated by both regular and irregular waves are reported. In particular, bedform geometry at the equilibrium (i.e. height, length and steepness) was investigated and compared with semi-empirical predictive models. In the range of the non dimensional parameters covered by the performed experiments, ripples generated by regular or irregular waves show similar characteristics, thus not showing a behavior influenced by the regularity of the flow. Starting from literature predictive models, new semi-empirical formulae are provided for determining the geometric characteristics of ripples at the equilibrium.