Prediction of swash motion and run-up including the effects of swash interaction

Modifications to a model describing swash motion based on solutions to the non-linear shallow water equations were made to account for interaction between up-rush and back-wash at the still water shoreline and within the swash zone. Inputs to the model are wave heights and arrival times at the still water shoreline. The model was tested against wave groups representing idealized vessel-generated wave trains run in a small wave tank experiment. Accounting for swash interaction markedly improved results with respect to the maximum run-up length for cases with rather gentle foreshore slopes (tanβ=0.07). For the case with a steep foreshore slope (tanβ=0.20) there was very little improvement compared to model results if swash interaction was not accounted for. In addition, an equation was developed to predict the onset and degree of swash interaction including the effects of bed friction.     

海堤上波浪爬高与越浪计算分析

基于线性波理论,采用VOF法、RNG k-ε的湍流模型,通过FLUENT软件平台的二次开发功能实现了质量源造波。利用多孔介质模型,在动量方程里添加多孔介质源项,对斜坡堤上铺设异型块体时的爬高与越浪进行了数值模拟,并通过模拟爬高值率定出FLUENT中多孔阻力系数与多种异形块体糙渗系数之间的关系,进而建立了可供实际应用的海堤上波浪爬高与越浪数值模型。     

On low-frequency waves in the surf and swash

Low-frequency waves in the surf and swash zones on various beach slopes are discussed using numerical simulations. Simulated surface elevations of both primary waves and low-frequency waves across the surf zone were first compared with experimental data and good agreement found. Low-frequency wave characteristics are then discussed in terms of their physical nature and their relationship to the primary wave field on a series of sea bottom slopes. Unlike primary waves, low-frequency wave energy increases towards the shoreline. Low-frequency waves in the surf and swash are a function of incident waves and the sea bottom slope and hence the saturation level of the surf zone. Wave energy on a gently sloping beach is dominated by low-frequency waves while primary waves play a significant role on a steep beach. Low-frequency wave radiation from the surf zone on a given beach depends on primary wave frequency and beach slope. However, a very poor correlation was found between surf similarity parameter and low-frequency wave radiation.     

孤立波在岸礁地形上传播与爬坡数值模拟研究

为准确模拟孤立波在岸礁地形上的传播和爬坡,采用基于完全非线性Boussinesq方程开发的Funwave-TVD模型,探究模型的可行性,并利用验证后的模型进一步研究岸礁各地形因素对孤立波爬高的影响。研究结果表明:模型能准确模拟孤立波在岸礁陡变地形上的传播及变形,摩擦系数对礁前陡坡及礁坪上的波浪传播模拟影响不大,但对爬坡预测的敏感性较强;模型空间步长可适当增大,提高计算效率;随着礁坪宽度的增大以及礁后斜坡的变缓,孤立波爬坡高度下降明显,而礁前陡坡坡度变化对孤立波爬坡高度影响不大。     

Simulation and prediction of swash oscillations on a steep beach

This paper presents numerical simulations and analytical predictions of key aspects of swash oscillations on a steep beach. Simulations of the shoreline displacement based on bore run-up theory are found to give excellent agreement with recent experimental data for regular waves, wave groups and random waves. The theory is used to derive parameters that predict the onset of swash saturation and the spectral characteristics of the saturated shoreline motion. These parameters are again in good agreement with the measured laboratory data and are also consistent with previous experimental data. Simulation of irregular wave run-up using a series of overlapping monochromatic swash events is found to reproduce typical features of swash oscillations and can accurately describe both the low and high frequency spectral characteristics of the swash zone. In particular, the low frequency components of the run-up can be modelled directly using a sequence of incident short wave bores, with no direct long wave input to the numerical simulations. This suggests that wave groupiness must be accounted for when modelling shoreline oscillations.     

Numerical experiments of swash oscillations on steep and gentle beaches

A weakly non-linear Boussinesq model with a slot-type shoreline boundary is used to simulate swash oscillations on beaches. Numerical simulations of swash were compared with laboratory measurements and in general good agreement found (less than 15% root-mean-square error of surface elevation except in regular waves). A series of numerical experiments on shoreline movement were then performed for a range of beach slopes and incident wave conditions. The resulting swash characteristics are then discussed in terms of their physical nature and spectral properties. On steep slopes, both individual bores and infragravity waves are equally significant in driving the swash while infragravity waves alone drive them on mild slopes. Swash excursions on any given slope are found to be highest when individual bores from a partially saturated surf zone ride on top of low-frequency waves. This is confirmed by the relationship found between swash excursion and wave groupiness in the surf zone. Swash excursions increase with increasing incident wave energy, even in fully saturated surf zones. However, a poor correlation is found between swash excursion and the surf similarity parameter due to the involvement of infragravity wave energy in the swash.     

Laboratory and numerical study of dambreak-generated swash on impermeable slopes

New laboratory experiments have produced detailed measurements of hydrodynamics within swash generated by bore collapse on a steep beach. The experiments are based on a dambreak rig producing a highly repeatable, large-scale swash event, enabling detailed measurements of depths and velocities at a number of locations across the swash zone. Experiments were conducted on two beaches, differentiated by roughness. Results are presented for uprush shoreline motion, flow depths, depth-averaged velocity, velocity profiles and turbulence intensity. Estimates of the time- and spatially-varying bed shear stress are obtained via log-law fitting to the velocity profiles and are compared with the shear plate measurements of Barnes et al. (2009) for similar experimental conditions. Experimental results are compared with model predictions based on a NLSWE model with momentum loss parameterised using the simple quadratic stress law in terms of the depth-averaged velocity. Predicted and measured flow depths and depth-averaged velocities agree reasonably well for much of the swash period, but agreement is not good at the time of bore arrival and towards the end of the backwash. The parameterisation of total momentum loss via the quadratic stress law cannot adequately model the swash bed shear stress at these critical times.     

Modelling of sediment movement in the surf and swash zones

Under the action of marine currents, non-cohesive sediments evolve by bed-load, by saltation or suspension depending on their granulometry. Several authors have considered that the movement of sediment...     

Computation of solitary waves during propagation and runup on a slope

A numerical time-simulation algorithm for analysing highly nonlinear solitary waves interacting with plane gentle and steep slopes is described by employing a mixed Eulerian–Lagrangian method. The full nonlinear free surface conditions are considered here in a Lagrangian frame of reference without any analytical approximations, and thus the method is valid for very steep waves including overturning. It is found that the runup height is crucially dependent on the wave steepness and the slope of the plane. Pressures and forces exerted on impermeable walls of different inclinations (slopes) by progressive shallow water solitary waves are studied. Strong nonlinear features in the form of pronounced double peaks are visible in the time history of pressure and force signals with increasing heights of the oncoming solitary waves. The effect of nonlinearity is less pronounced as the inclination of the wall decreases with respect to the bottom surface.     

A numerical study of swash flows generated by bores

The dynamic processes of bore propagation over a uniform slope are studied numerically using a 2-D Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solver, coupled to a non-linear k − ε turbulence closure and a volume of fluid (VOF) method. The dam-break mechanism is used to generate bores in a constant depth region. Present numerical results for the ensemble-averaged flow field are compared with existing experimental data as well as theoretical and numerical results based on non-linear shallow water (NSW) equations. Reasonable agreement between the present numerical solutions and experimental data is observed. Using the numerical results, small-scale bore behaviors and flow features, such as the bore collapse process near the still-water shoreline, the ‘mini-collapse’ during the runup phase and the ‘back-wash bore’ in the down-rush phase, are described. In the case of a strong bore, the evolution of the averaged turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) over the swash zone consists of two phases: in the region near the still-water shoreline, the production and the dissipation of TKE are roughly in balance; in the region farther landwards of the still-water shoreline, the TKE decay rate is very close to that of homogeneous grid turbulence. On the other hand, in the case of a weak bore, the bore collapse generated turbulence is confined near the bottom boundary layer and the TKE decays at a much slower rate.     

Boussinesq modelling of solitary wave and N-wave runup on coast

A total variation diminishing Lax–Wendroff scheme has been applied to numerically solve the Boussinesq-type equations. The runup processes on a vertical wall and on a uniform slope by various waves, including solitary waves, leading-depression N-waves and leading-elevation N-waves, have been investigated using the developed numerical model. The results agree well with the runup laws derived analytically by other researchers for non-breaking waves. The predictions with respect to breaking solitary waves generally follow the empirical runup relationship established from laboratory experiments, although some degree of over-prediction on the runup heights has been manifested. Such an over-prediction can be attributed to the exaggeration of the short waves in the front of the breaking waves. The study revealed that the leading-depression N-wave produced a higher runup than the solitary wave of the same amplitude, whereas the leading-elevation N-wave produced a slightly lower runup than the solitary wave of the same amplitude. For the runup on a vertical wall, this trend becomes prominent when the wave height-to-depth ratio exceeds 0.01. For the runup on a slope, this trend is prominent before the strong wave breaking occurs.     

Measurement of wave-by-wave bed-levels in the swash zone

A technique is described to observe and quantify wave-by-wave bed-level changes in the swash zone. The ultrasonic instrument system is non-contact with the beach face surface being measured and the sensors remain outside of the fluid flows causing sediment movement. Sensor resolution combined with the electronic noise inherent within a digital network data-logging system results in a (conservative) measurement accuracy of ± 1 mm, equating to a couple of sand grain diameters in height. Illustrative field results demonstrate the practical use of the instrumentation, and a simple data pre-processing method to separate swashes and intervening bed-level ‘events’ is discussed. These example data reveal rather complex fluctuations of the bed observed over time periods of minutes to hours. Rather strikingly, gross bed-level changes per wave are revealed to be up to many orders of magnitude larger than the observed net rate of beach face evolution. It is outlined how observations of successive bed-level changes at multiple locations within a dense grid, combined with a consideration of sediment continuity, will now enable the total net sediment transported per uprush–backwash to be quantified.     

Numerical modeling of wave runup and forces on an idealized beachfront house

In this paper, a numerical wave model based on the incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and k–ε equations is used to estimate the impact of a solitary wave on an idealized beachfront house located at different elevations on a plane beach. The locations of the free surface are reconstructed by volume of fluid (VOF) method. The model is satisfactorily tested against the experimental data of wave runup, and the analytical solution of wave forces on vertical walls. The time histories of wave profiles, forces, and overturning moments on the idealized house are demonstrated and analyzed. The variations of wave forces and overturning moments with the elevation of the idealized beachfront house are also investigated.     

Boundary layer approach in the modeling of breaking solitary wave runup

The boundary layer is very important in the relation between wave motion and bed stress, such as sediment transport. It is a known fact that bed stress behavior is highly influenced by the boundary layer beneath the waves. Specifically, the boundary layer underneath wave runup is difficult to assess and thus, it has not yet been widely discussed, although its importance is significant. In this study, the shallow water equation (SWE) prediction of wave motion is improved by being coupled with the k–ω model, as opposed to the conventional empirical method, to approximate bed stress. Subsequently, the First Order Center Scheme and Monotonic Upstream Scheme of Conservation Laws (FORCE MUSCL), which is a finite volume shock-capturing scheme, is applied to extend the SWE range for breaking wave simulation. The proposed simultaneous coupling method (SCM) assumes the depth-averaged velocity from the SWE is equivalent to free stream velocity. In turn, free stream velocity is used to calculate a pressure gradient, which is then used by the k–ω model to approximate bed stress. Finally, this approximation is applied to the momentum equation in the SWE. Two experimental cases will be used to verify the SCM by comparing runup height, surface fluctuation, bed stress, and turbulent intensity values. The SCM shows good comparison to experimental data for all before-mentioned parameters. Further analysis shows that the wave Reynolds number increases as the wave propagates and that the turbulence behavior in the boundary layer gradually changes, such as the increase of turbulent intensity.     

Quantification of swash flows using video-based particle image velocimetry

Understanding of fluid flows and sediment transport in the foreshore has been severely hampered by the difficulty of obtaining swash flow velocity measurements in this dynamic and extremely shallow region. We present a digital imaging method, known as particle image velocimetry (PIV), to quantify the horizontal flow structure of swash. This technique exploits similar patterns of image intensity in multiple images sampled sequentially to identify spatial offsets corresponding with maximum correlations between image subregions. These offsets are used in conjunction with the sampling interval to derive velocity vectors describing the horizontal flow structure. Pre-processing methods to geo-rectify oblique imagery to a planar surface and post-processing methods of correcting spurious vectors are described. The PIV method overcomes many of the limitations of in situ sampling of swash flows and is shown consistent with results from a previously tested remote sensing technique for measuring swash edge velocities. In general, this technique provides a unique capability for spatially extensive and well-resolved quantification of swash flows.     

The influence of seaward boundary conditions on swash zone hydrodynamics

The influence of the seaward boundary condition on the internal swash hydrodynamics is investigated. New numerical solutions of the characteristics form of the nonlinear shallow-water equations are presented and applied to describe the swash hydrodynamics forced by breaking wave run-up on a plane beach. The solutions depend on the specification of characteristic variables on the seaward boundary of the swash zone, equivalent to prescribing the flow depth or the flow velocity. It is shown that the analytical solution of Shen and Meyer [Shen, M.C., Meyer, R.E., 1963. Climb of a bore on a beach. Part 3. Runup. J. Fluid Mech. 16, 113–125] is a special case of the many possible solutions that can describe the swash flow, but one that does not appear appropriate for practical application for real waves. The physical significance of the boundary conditions is shown by writing the volume and momentum fluxes in terms of the characteristic variables. Results are presented that illustrate the dependence of internal flow depth and velocity on the boundary condition. This implies that the internal swash hydrodynamics depend on the shape and wavelength of the incident bore, which differs from the hydrodynamic similarity inherent in the analytical solution. A solution appropriate for long bores is compared to laboratory data to illustrate the difference from the analytical solution. The results are important in terms of determining overwash flows, flow forces and sediment dynamics in the run-up zone.     

Process-based model for nearshore hydrodynamics, sediment transport and morphological evolution in the surf and swash zones

Hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the nearshore zone were modeled numerically taking into account turbulent unsteady flow. The flow field was computed using the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations with a k–ε turbulence closure model, while the free surface was tracked using the Volume-Of-Fluid technique. This hydrodynamical model was supplemented with a cross-shore sediment transport formula to calculate profile changes and sediment transport in the surf and swash zones. Based on the numerical solutions, flow characteristics and the effects of breaking waves on sediment transport were studied. The main characteristic of breaking waves, i.e. the instantaneous sediment transport rate, was investigated numerically, as was the spatial distribution of time-averaged sediment transport rates for different grain sizes. The analysis included an evaluation of different values of the wave friction factor and an empirical constant characterizing the uprush and backwash. It was found that the uprush induces a larger instantaneous transport rate than the backwash, indicating that the uprush is more important for sediment transport than the backwash. The results of the present model are in reasonable agreement with other numerical and physical models of nearshore hydrodynamics. The model was found to predict well cross-shore sediment transport and thus it provides a tool for predicting beach morphology change.     

Maximum run-up,breaking conditions and dynamical forces in the swash zone: a boundary value approach

On the basis of the approximate analytical solution for the nonlinear shallow water equations of Antuono and Brocchini [M. Antuono & M. Brocchini, The boundary value problem for the nonlinear shallow water equation, Stud. Appl. Maths, 119, 71–91 (2007).], we propose useful regression curves for the prediction of maximum run-up and dynamical forces in the swash zone on a frictionless, uniformly sloping beach. For the first time the dependence of the results on both the wave height and the wave steepness is analyzed in detail providing formulae able to describe a wide class of wave inputs. Finally, the regression formulae are validated through comparison with maximum run-up laws and breaking conditions already available in the literature, the present model results appearing to better account for nonlinear effects.     

珊瑚岛礁孤立波爬坡的平面二维数值模拟研究

为了探究岛屿周围珊瑚礁在抵御海啸灾害中的作用,采用激波捕捉类Boussinesq模型FUNWAVE-TVD,对孤立波在理想化三维岛礁地形上的传播及爬坡开展了现场尺度的平面二维数值模拟,分析了入射波高、礁坪水深、礁坪宽度、礁前斜坡坡度、礁后斜坡坡度、珊瑚礁糙率对岛屿四周孤立波爬高分布的影响。结果表明,珊瑚礁的存在总体上可有效降低岛屿四周孤立波的最大爬坡高度;入射波高、礁坪水深、礁坪宽度、珊瑚礁糙率是影响珊瑚岛礁四周孤立波爬坡分布的主要因素,岛礁四周最大爬坡高度会随入射波高和礁坪水深的增大、礁坪宽度和珊瑚礁糙率的减小而不断增大;当礁坪水深增大到一定程度时,珊瑚礁主要会对岛屿背浪面的爬高失去影响,而当礁坪宽度和珊瑚礁糙率减小至一定程度时,会出现岛礁四周最大爬高高于无珊瑚礁时爬高的现象;礁后斜坡的变缓会使岛礁周围的最大爬高有所减小,而礁前斜坡坡度对珊瑚岛礁周围的最大爬高几乎没有影响。     

Numerical simulation of wave transformation and runup incorporating porous media wave absorber and turbulence models

A numerical wave tank is first established using the Navier–Stokes equations and the VOF method assuming laminar flow. The standard k–ε, realizable k–ε and RNG k–ε turbulent models are then incorporated to the numerical tank. An effective numerical method for wave absorption utilizing the energy-dissipating property of porous media is also included. To validate the accuracy of the proposed models, the propagation of a solitary wave, where analytical solution is available for comparison, is first simulated. This is followed by the simulation of irregular wave runup on a composite seawall, wave propagation over submerged bars and wave refraction and diffraction over an elliptic shoal, where experimental data are available for comparison. All computed results agree well with either the analytical solution or the experimental data.