Establishing uniform longshore currents in a large-scale sediment transport facility

A large-scale laboratory facility for conducting research on surf-zone sediment transport processes has been constructed at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. Successful execution of sediment transport experiments, which attempt to replicate some of the important coastal processes found on long straight beaches, requires a method for establishing the proper longshore current. An active pumping and recirculation system comprised of 20 independent pumps and pipelines is used to control the cross-shore distribution of the mean longshore current. Pumping rates are adjusted in an iterative manner to converge toward the proper settings, based on measurements along the beach. Two recirculation criteria proposed by Visser [Coastal Eng. 15 (1991) 563] were also used, and they provided additional evidence that the proper total longshore flow rate in the surf zone was obtained. The success of the external recirculation system and its operational procedure, and the degree of longshore uniformity achieved along the beach, are the subjects of this paper. To evaluate the performance of the recirculation system, and as a precursor to sediment transport experiments, two comprehensive test series were conducted on a concrete beach with straight and parallel contours (1:30 slope), one using regular waves and the other using irregular waves. In the regular wave case, the wave period was 2.5 s and the average wave height at breaking was approximately 0.25 m. In the irregular wave case, the peak wave period was 2.5 s and the significant breaking wave height was approximately 0.21 m. The longshore current recirculation system proved to be very effective in establishing uniform mean longshore currents along the beach in both cases. This facility and the data presented here are unique for the following reasons: (1) the high cross-shore resolution of the recirculation system and the ease with which changes can be made to the longshore current distribution, (2) the degree of longshore uniformity achieved as a percentage of the length of the basin (even near the downdrift boundary), (3) the scale of the wave conditions generated, and (4) the relatively gentle beach slope used in the experiments (compared to previous laboratory studies of the longshore current). Measured data are provided in an appendix for use in theoretical studies and numerical model development and validation.     

Longshore currents of regular waves on different beaches

The experiment and numerical computations of longshore currents produced by regularwaves on the two beaches with the slopes of 1:100 and 1:40 are made. The cross-shore distributions of longshore current velocities and wave heights are given and the influences of wave heights, wave periods and beach slopes on the longshore currents are discussed. The discussion is also made for the influences of different eddy viscosity coefficients on the numerical results of longshore current velocities.     

Boussinesq modelling of transient rip currents

The flow on a plane beach with a random, directionally spread wave field was simulated with a Boussinesq model. The random wave spectra were directionally symmetric with their central direction perpendicular to the beach, so no constant longshore current was generated. Variable wave-averaged currents were generated because of the spatially variable wave field, and sometimes formed offshore directed rip currents that appear in variable longshore locations. The rip currents are associated with a vortex pair which is generated within the surfzone and subsequently propagates offshore. Analysis of the vorticity balance show that the main vorticity input occurs within the inner surfzone. Three different beach slopes and four different wave spectra are simulated. The frequency, duration, and intensity of the transient rips depend on both the beach slope and the incident wave spectra. The results have important engineering implications for the transport of material in the nearshore zone, in particular on longshore uniform beaches.     

Longshore Currents of Random Waves on Different Plane Beaches

1 .IntroductionWhenwavespropagateobliquelytotheshorelineandbreak ,ameancurrentisgeneratedflowingparalleltothecoast.Thegenerationoflongshorecurrentscanbeexplainedasfollows .Withbreakingwaveheightdecreasing ,themomentumofwavemotionwillchangecorrespondingly .Accordingtothemomentumconservationtheory ,thechangesofthemomentumwillbeaccompaniedwithadditionalforcesactingonfluid .Longuet Higgins ( 1 970 )usedtheconceptofradiationstresstodescribetheaboveadditionalforceactingonfluidduetothechangeofwavemo…     

Longshore Currents over Barred Beach with Mild Slope

The laboratory experiment and numerical simulations of wave-driven longshore currents by random waves on barred beaches with slopes of 1:100 and 1:40 were conducted to investigate the bimodal feature of mean longshore currents, with emphasis on the location and ratio of two peaks of longshore currents. The location and ratio of two peaks are controlled by the sand bar. The influences of wave heights and beach slopes on the longshore currents are discussed. Numerical simulations were also performed to compute the measured velocity profile, with the emphasis on the effect of lateral mixing, bottom friction and surface rollers on numerical results.     

Longshore sorting on a beach under wave action

Sorting of sediment on a beach under wave action takes several forms. Stratified layers of finer and coarser sediment, which depend on wave climate, grain size and beach slope are formed. This complex problem can be simplified by defining the cross-shore and longshore sorting according to the angle between the breaking wave and the coast. In the present study, longshore distribution of sediment as well as corresponding beach profiles was measured in a wave basin. Three-dimensional hydraulic model experiments were performed with regular waves. Eighteen sets of experiments performed in longshore sorting mechanism using two different sand beds. The sorting of the bed material and the formation of armour coats along the beach were defined by grain size distributions and dimensionless parameters for sandy beaches.The rate of sediment transport with grain size sorting was measured in a wave basin. A method introduced sorting process was presented in this study. The sediment rate based on sorting mechanism was also discussed with known methods. It has been found that the non-uniformity of the grain size and hence sorting of the beaches play a very important role in the sand transport due to wave motion in a similar way to the case of steady flow in alluvial channels.     

沙坝海岸沿岸流速度剖面特征研究

通过对两个坡度沙坝地形沿岸流实验测量和基于能量方程的沿岸流数值模拟,研究了沙坝海岸平均沿岸流速度剖面的双峰剖面特征,重点分析了第二个峰值的特征和两峰值的比值。综合考虑入射波高、入射波类型和坡度对波生沿岸流垂直岸线速度剖面的影响。结果表明,平均沿岸流速度剖面出现双峰剖面特征:第一峰值发生在沙坝向岸侧面的中部,第二个峰值发生在靠近岸线处;同一坡度情况两个峰值的位置和比值,不受入射波类型、入射波高的影响。数值模型中包括了侧混、底摩擦和水滚等因素,其数值模拟结果和实验值拟合较好,并讨论了有无侧混和水滚对速度剖面的影响。     

近岸流对波浪传播影响的数值分析

使用近岸波浪模型SWAN计算存在沿岸流和离岸流时的近岸波浪传播。先设离岸流u=0m/s,模拟均匀、非均匀沿岸流的流速和梯度对波高传播的影响;再设沿岸流v=0.5m/s,模拟均匀、非均匀离岸流的流速和梯度对波能高传播的影响。从模拟中得到,近岸波浪传播受沿岸流、离岸流的流速和梯度影响时,波高的变化规律。     

Numerical Simulation of the Three-Dimensional Wave-Induced Currents on Unstructured Grid

By coupling the three-dimensional hydrodynamic model with the wave model, numerical simulations of the three-dimensional wave-induced current are carried out in this study. The wave model is based on the numerical solution of the modified wave action equation and eikonal equation, which can describe the wave refraction and diffraction. The hydrodynamic model is driven by the wave-induced radiation stresses and affected by the wave turbulence. The numerical implementation of the module has used the finite-volume schemes on unstructured grid, which provides great flexibility for modeling the waves and currents in the complex actual nearshore, and ensures the conservation of energy propagation. The applicability of the proposed model is evaluated in calculating the cases of wave set-up, longshore currents, undertow on a sloping beach, rip currents and meandering longshore currents on a tri-cuspate beach. The results indicate that it is necessary to introduce the depth-dependent radiation stresses into the numerical simulation of wave-induced currents, and comparisons show that the present model makes better prediction on the wave procedure as well as both horizontal and vertical structures in the wave-induced current field.     

沿岸流中混合系数的实验研究

进行了在规则波作用下破波带内水平混合系数测量的物理模型实验。通过在沿岸流流场中投放墨水点源和采用CCD摄像机摄像,测量了点源扩散过程。利用水深平均二维扩散方程近似解析解得到了由实验结果计算混合系数的方法。实验结果表明:扩散系数仅依赖于当地水深,与波浪参数(周期和波高)无关。沿岸流沿水深变化产生的离散作用导致顺流方向(纵向)混合系数远大于横流方向(横向)混合系数。横流方向混合系数中由波浪产生的扩散系数占总扩散系数约40%,其余为波浪破碎引起的湍流产生的扩散系数。     

Two-dimensional wave-current interaction with a locally enriched quadtree grid system

Wave-induced currents may drive nearshore mixing and transport processes, including coastal pollutant dispersion, littoral drift, and long-term morphological changes through beach erosion and accretion. In this study, a numerical model is newly developed to simulate wave climate and localized currents in complicated coastal environments. The model developed is based on a quadtree grid system. The two-dimensional hydrodynamic governing equations are solved by using an explicit Adams-Bashforth finite difference scheme. Effects of wave breaking, shoaling, refraction, diffraction, wave-current interaction, set-up and set-down, turbulent mixing, bed friction, and shoreline movement are incorporated in the model. Results are presented for set-up at a beach in a flume due to normally incident waves, and longshore currents generated by oblique waves on a plane beach.     

Numerical study of wave and longshore current interaction

Wave and longshore current interaction was examined based on the numerical models.In these models,water waves in the presence of longshore currents were modeled by parabolic mild slope equation,and wave breaking induced longshore currents were modeled by shallow water equation.Water wave provided the radiation stress gradients to drive current.Wave and longshore current interactions were considered by cycling the wave and longshore current models to a steady state.The experiments for regular and irregular breaking wave induced longshore currents by Hamilton and Ebersole（2001） and Reniers and Battjes（1997） were simulated.The numerical results indicate that the present models are effective for simulating the interaction of wave and breaking wave induced longshore currents,and the numerically simulated longshore current at wave breaking point considering wave and longshore current interaction show some disagreement with those neglecting the wave-current interaction,and the breaking wave induced longshore current effect on wave transformation is not obvious.     

Wave setup/setdown and longshore current on non-planar beaches

Wave-induced setup/setdown and longshore currents are examined theoretically for non-planar, concave-up beaches. A beach profile in which the still-water-depth is proportional to the horizontal distance offshore raised to the $\text{2}\text{3}$ power is examined in detail. The total mean-water-depth, which includes the sum of the still-water-depth for this $\text{2}\text{3}$ power beach profile plus the wave-induced setup/setdown, may be approximated shoreward of the breaker line in a best least-squares sense by a profile that is proportional to the horizontal distance offshore raised to the $\text{1}\text{2}$ power. The longshore current profile for this non-planar beach is found to differ significantly from that predicted analytically for a planar beach. The longshore current velocity does not vanish at the shoreline as in the planar beach case. In addition, the peak velocities and the total longshore transport of water are found to be less than for the corresponding planar beach cases. For a given concave-up beach profile, the influence of the lateral mixing increases as the wave height decreases.     

Experimental investigation of vanes as a means of beach protection

Vanes are essentially flat vertical flow guiding structures. In the beach protection application vanes are placed, inshore of the breaking zone, in the upper part of the vertical water column and with a predefined angle of attack to the design wave orthogonal. They are thus subjected to a generally inshore-directed flow, which induces a lift, and drag force on the vane. These forces, in turn, induce a flow that counteracts the wave-induced longshore current, thus decreasing the longshore current velocity, which facilitates sediment deposition. Two experiments were conducted in a small-scale wave basin with the purpose of investigating the vane function. Both experiments were conducted with a movable bed that formed a crenulate-shaped bay between two headland structures. The first experiment showed that the vanes created a salient upstream of the vanes. This result is also supported by initial prototype results. The second experiment showed that the longshore velocity was reduced upstream of the vane and that the bulk of the velocity reduction took place in the nearshore part of the breaking zone. The main flow feature is identified as a large horizontal vortex inshore of the vane.     

A Numerical Model for Edge Waves on A Compound Slope

An edge wave is a kind of surface gravity wave basically travelling along a shoaling beach. Based on the periodic assumption in the longshore direction, a second order ordinary differential equation is obtained for numerical simulation of the cross-shore surface elevation. Given parameters at the shoreline, a cross-shore elevation profile is obtained through integration with fourth-order Runge-Kutta technique. For a compound slope, a longshore wavenumber is obtained by following a geometrical approach and solving a transcendental equation with an asymptotic method. Numerical results on uniform and compound sloping beaches with different wave periods, slope angles, modes and turning point positions are presented. Some special scenarios, which cannot be predicted by analytical models are also discussed.     

Numerical Simulation of Spatial Lag Between Wave Breaking Point and Location of Maximum Wave-Induced Current

A quasi three-dimensional numerical model of wave-driven coastal currents with the effects of surface rollers is developed for the study of the spatial lag between the location of the maximum wave-induced current and the wave breaking point.The governing equations are derived from Navier-Stokes equations and solved by the hybrid method combining the fractional step finite different method in the horizontal plane with a Galerkin finite element method in the vertical direction.The surface rollers effects are considered through incorporating the creation and evolution of the roller area into the free surface shear stress.An energy equation facilitates the computation process which transfers the wave breaking energy dissipation to the surface roller energy.The wave driver model is a phase-averaged wave model based on the wave action balance equation.Two sets of laboratory experiments producing breaking waves that generated longshore currents on a planar beach are used to evaluate the model's performance.The present wave-driven coastal current model with the roller effect in the surface shear stress term can produce satisfactory results by increasing the wave-induced nearshore current velocity inside the surf zone and shifting the location of the maximum longshore current velocity landward.     

Influence of lateral mixing on longshore currents

A variety of different lateral mixing models have been employed in the equation of motion for determining wave-induced longshore currents. The equation of motion is cast into a general form which enables a comparison of the various models. Analytic solutions for longshore currents are developed for seven different mixing models. A nonplanar beach profile is employed because it has been found to be representative of many beaches and it allows for a distinction between offshore and depth scaling of eddies. The seven different mixing models include models which vary monotonically with horizontal distance offshore and models which change form at the breaker line. Numerical results indicate that the longshore current profile is rather insensitive to the form of the mixing model for nonplanar beach profiles.     

Investigation and Discussion on the Beach Morphodynamic Response Under Storm Events Based on A Three-Dimensional Numerical Model

A well-established 3D phase-averaged beach morphodynamic model was applied to investigate the morphodynamics of a typical artificial beach,and a series of discussions were made on the surfzone hydro-sedimentological processes under calm and storm events.Model results revealed that the nearshore wave-induced current presents a significant 3D structure under stormy waves,where the undertow and longshore currents exist simultaneously,forming a spirallike circulation system in the surfzone.Continuous longshore sediment transport would shorten the sediment supply in the cross-shore direction,subsequently suppress the formation of sandbars,showing that a typical recovery profile under calm waves does not necessarily develop,but with a competing process of onshore drift,undertow and longshore currents.Sediment transport rate during storms reaches several hundreds of times as those under calm waves,and two storm events contribute approximately 60%to the beach erosion.Sediment transport pattern under calm waves is mainly bed load,but as the fine sands underneath begin to expose,the contribution of suspended load becomes significant.     

波生流对海岸污染物输移的影响

通过物理模型实验对海岸波浪作用下污染物运动特性进行了分析,重点分析了质量输移流、沿岸流、沿岸流不稳定运动及破波带内旋涡运动等海岸水动力因素的影响.实验中坡度分别取为1:100和1:40,实验中采用CCD摄像机记录墨水的运动轨迹,同步测量流体质点速度以及波面升高.实验表明,在破碎带外污染物主要受波浪非线性引起的质量输移流的影响;在破碎带内主要受沿岸流的影响,同时还受沿岸流不稳定运动及大尺度旋涡运动的影响.     

沿岸流不稳定运动传播特性的小波相干谱分析

沿岸流不稳定运动属于超低频运动,研究它的传播特性,有助于深入理解其对岸滩演变、污染物、鱼卵等输移、迁移的影响.本文基于小波相干谱对所选实验波况进行了研究,分析了规则波、随机波入射情况下沿岸流不稳定运动传播特性,并讨论了入射波高、周期、坡度等对其的影响.结果表明,不规则波更易诱导出沿岸流不稳定运动,且在不规则波情况下,不...