Abstract:
Wakes in a stratified medium have been studied with considerable interest owing
to the ubiquity of such phenomena in nature and engineering applications. In this
thesis we have investigated some of the characteristics of wakes/jets generated by
propulsive underwater bodies with laboratory-scale experiments using various flow
visualization techniques. The qualitative data obtained leads us to some interesting
observations and questions. The structure of jets in a stratified flow, to which
attention has not been paid in comparison to stratified wakes, has been more
closely studied and we have attempted to explain its structure.
We have also used a two-dimensional viscous incompressible flow simulation using
the discrete vortex method to construct and test a novel self-propelled body. This
model has the potential to yield some insights into the two-dimensional wake decay
of a self-propelled body.
