Basil Wrigley Wilson

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Basil Wrigley Wilson
Born(1909-06-16)16 June 1909
Cape Town, South Africa
Died9 February 1996(1996-02-09) (aged 86)
Alma mater
Known for
  • Wilson's formulas for simplified wind-wave prediction
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
ThesisResearch and Model Studies on Range Action in Table Bay Harbour, Cape Town (1951)
Doctoral advisorJ.S. de V. von Willich
Other academic advisorsDr. C.V. von Abo

Basil Wrigley Wilson (16 June 1909 – 9 February 1996) was an oceanographic engineer and researcher in the field of coastal engineering who made significant contributions to the study of ocean waves, ship motion, and mooring technology.

Life and career[edit]

Wilson was born in Cape Town to expatriate English parents George Hough Wilson and Sarah Anne Wilson (née Hearn). His father was a journalist and editor of the Cape Times, and his grandmother was related to William Wrigley Jr. of the Wrigley Company, hence Basil's middle name.[1]

He studied Civil engineering at the University of Cape Town, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1931. A year later, he took up employment as an engineer with the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, where he remained until 1952. During this time, he developed the first hydraulic model of a harbour in South Africa, at Gqeberha.[2]

In 1942 he oversaw the design and operation of a large physical model of Table Bay and its harbour, and conducted experiments on methods for the control and reduction of the effects of storm surges, using much of the work as the basis for his Doctor of Science dissertation at the University of Cape Town in 1951.[1][2]

In 1952 he moved to the United States and undertook a teaching and research position at Texas A&M University.[3] He became a US Citizen in 1956. In addition to work on the dynamics of mooring lines for large ships, he developed a procedure for predicting the height and period characteristics of waves.[4] He also undertook work on storm surges caused by hurricanes, researching the effects in New York Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

In 1968, Wilson entered private practice where he undertook engineering consulting work for various clients on subjects including earthquake engineering, tsunami hazards, and port engineering.[11][12]

Wilson's formulas for simplified wind-wave prediction[edit]

In 1965, Wilson proposed a method which can be used to approximate the significant wave height H1/3 and period T1/3 of wind waves generated by a constant wind of speed U blowing over a fetch length F.[13][14] The units for these quantities are as follows:

  • H1/3 in metres (m)
  • T1/3 in seconds (s)
  • U in metres per second (m/s)
  • F in metres (m)

Under conditions were the wind blows for a sufficiently long time, for example during a prolonged storm, the wave height and period can be calculated as follows:

In these formulae, g denotes the acceleration due to gravity, which is approximately 9.807 m/s2. The wind speed U is measured at an elevation of 10 metres above the sea surface. Wilson's formulae apply when the duration of the wind blowing is sufficiently long, as when the wind blows for only a limited time, waves cannot attain the full height and period corresponding to the wind speed and fetch length. Work by Yoshimi Goda and other Japanese researchers subsequently provided modifications to the formulae to consider these effects.[15][16][17]

Graph showing wave height predictions using Wilson's formula (1965)
Graph showing wave period predictions using Wilson's formula (1965)

Goda adapted Wilson's formula with a simple equation which is first used to calculate the minimum fetch (Fmin):

In this equation, t is the wind duration (in hours) and U is the wind speed, in metres per second. If F > Fmin, then the wave growth is limited by the wind duration, and Fmin is used instead of F in Wilson's equations. If F < Fmin, the wave growth is limited by fetch length, and F is used.[15]

Recognition and later life[edit]

Wilson was recognised during his career with several awards, including the American Society of Civil Engineers Arthur M. Wellington Prize (1952), Norman Medal (1969), and the Moffatt-Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award (1983).[18][19][20] He was also recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers and South African Institution of Civil Engineers. In 1984, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.[21]

He died in 1996 in Pasadena, California, survived by his wife and four children.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "B.W. Wilson 1909–1996". National Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, B.W. (1953). Research and model studies on range action in Table Bay harbour, Cape Town (PhD thesis). University of Cape Town. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Basil Wilson". OAK Trust: Texas A&M University Libraries. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  4. ^ Wilson, B.W. (1967). "The threshold of surge damage for moored ships". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 38 (1): 107–134. doi:10.1680/iicep.1967.8260. ISSN 1753-7789. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  5. ^ Wilson, B.W.; Sommet, J.; Raichlen, F.; Toosting, W.C.Q.; Fisher, S.M. (1968). "Discussion: The threshold of surge damage for moored ships". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 40 (3): 363–382. doi:10.1680/iicep.1968.7610. ISSN 1753-7789.
  6. ^ Wilson, B.W. (1963). "Tsunami model for Hilo Bay, Hawaii". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  7. ^ Wilson, B.W. (1951). "Ship Response to Range Action in Harbor Basins". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 116 (1): 1129–1157. doi:10.1061/TACEAT.0006601. ISSN 0066-0604. Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via American Society of Civil Engineers.
  8. ^ Harris, D.L.; Wilson, B.W. (1961). Discussion of technical memorandum no. 120 : the prediction of hurricane storm-tides in New York Bay : and closure by author (Report). United States, Beach Erosion Board. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  9. ^ Wilson, B.W. (1965). Analysis of wave forces on a 30-inch diameter pile under confused sea conditions (Report). Coastal Engineering Research Center (U.S.). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  10. ^ Wilson, B.W. (1957). Johnson, J.W. (ed.). "Hurricane wave statistics for the Gulf of Mexico". Proceedings of 6th Conference on Coastal Engineering. 6. Gainsville, Florida: 68–95. Retrieved 15 January 2024 – via Coastal Engineering.
  11. ^ Taylor, C.; Patil, B.S.; Zienkiewicz, O.C.; Wilson, B.W.; Fisher, S.M. (1970). "Harbour Oscillation: A numerical treatment for undamped natural modes". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 46 (2): 203–211. doi:10.1680/iicep.1970.6791. ISSN 1753-7789.
  12. ^ Wilson, B.W.; Tørum, A. (1967). "Engineering damage from the Tsunami of the Alaskan earthquake of March 27 1964". www.worldcat.org. Coastal Engineering Research Center (US). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  13. ^ Wilson, B.W. (1965). "Numerical prediction of ocean waves in the North Atlantic for December, 1959". Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift. 18 (3): 114–130. Bibcode:1965DeHyZ..18..114W. doi:10.1007/BF02333333. ISSN 0012-0308. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  14. ^ Townson, J.M.; Wilson, B.W. (1982). "Discussion: The Stevenson formula for predicting wave height". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 73 (2): 485–487. doi:10.1680/iicep.1982.1716. ISSN 1753-7789. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  15. ^ a b Goda, Y. (2003). "Revisiting Wilson's Formulas for Simplified Wind-Wave Prediction". Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering. 129 (2): 93–95. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-950X(2003)129:2(93). ISSN 0733-950X. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  16. ^ Toba, Y. (1972). "Local balance in the air-sea boundary processes: I. on the growth process of wind waves". Journal of Oceanography. 28 (3): 109–120. doi:10.1007/BF02109772. ISSN 0916-8370. S2CID 116924399. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  17. ^ Horikawa, K. (1978). Coastal Engineering: An introduction to Ocean Engineering (in Japanese). Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press.
  18. ^ "Arthur M. Wellington Prize Past Award Winners". www.asce.org. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Norman Medal Past Award Winners". www.asce.org. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  20. ^ "John G. Moffatt–Frank E. Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award Past Award Winners". www.asce.org. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Memorial Tributes". NAE Website. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
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