The flow in this boundary layer may be laminar or turbulent.
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The laminar flow is a nicely ordered, parallel movement of the water. |
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The turbulent flow is a disorderly flow pattern, full of eddies. |
Air bubbles absorb and reflect the sound energy, and they may in worst cases block the sound transmission altogether.
The boundary layer increases in thickness when it becomes turbulent. The boundary layer is thin in the forward part of the
vessel hull, and increases as it moves aft. The thickness depends on ships speed and on the roughness of the hull. All objects
sticking out from the hull, or dents in the hull, will disturb the flow and will increase the thickness of the boundary layer.
When the flow speed is high, the turbulence can be violent enough to destroy the integrity of the water. Small voids or cavities
in the water will occur and this is called cavitation.
It is our experience that a wide and flat bottom, with a rising angle less than around 13 degrees, is prone to giving air
problems for the transducer. In any case a transducer location in the forward part of the hull is preferred in order to minimise the influence of the boundary
layer.