2D Wave setup behind submerged breakwaters

In addition to reducing the incoming wave energy, submerged breakwaters also cause a setup of the sea level in the protected area, which is relevant to the whole shadow zone circulation, including alongshore currents and seaward flows through the gaps. This study examines such a leading hydraulic parameter under the simplified hypothesis of 2D motion and presents a prediction model that has been validated by a wide ensemble of experimental data. Starting from an approach originally proposed by Dalrymple and Dean [(1971). Piling-up behind low and submerged permeable breakwaters. Discussion note on Diskin et al. (1970). Journal of Waterways and Harbors Division WW2, 423–427], the model splits the rise of the mean water level into two contributions: one is due to the momentum flux release forced by wave breaking on the structure, and the other is associated with the mass transport process. For the first time, the case of random wave trains has been explicitly considered.     

Wave diffraction on arc-shaped floating perforated breakwaters

An analytical method is developed to study the sheltering effects on arc-shaped floating perforated breakwaters. In the process of analysis, the floating breakwater is assumed to be rigid, thin, vertical, and immovable and located in water with constant depth. The fluid domain is divided into two regions by imaginary interface. The velocity potential in each region is expanded by eigenfunction in the context of linear theory. By satisfying continuity of pressure and normal velocity across the imaginary fluid interface, a set of linear algebraic equations can be obtained to determine the unknown coefficients for eigenfunction expansions. The accuracy of the present model was verified by a comparison with existing results for the case of arc-shaped floating breakwater. Numerical results, in the form of contour maps of the non-dimensional wave amplitude around the breakwater and diffracted wave amplitude at typical sections, are presented for a range of wave and breakwater parameters. Results show that the sheltering effects on the arc-shaped floating perforated breakwater are closely related to the incident wavelength, the draft and the porosity of the breakwater.     

Wave modelling in the vicinity of submerged breakwaters

This paper describes a simple method for modelling wave breaking over submerged structures, with the view of using such modelling approach in a coastal area morphodynamic modelling system.A dominant mechanism for dissipating wave energy over a submerged breakwater is depth-limited wave breaking. Available models for energy dissipation due to wave breaking are developed for beaches (gentle slopes) and require further modifications to model wave breaking over submerged breakwaters.In this paper, wave breaking is split into two parts, namely: 1) depth-limited breaking modelled using Battjes and Janssen's (1978) theory [Battjes, J.A. and Jannsen, J.P.F.M. (1978). Energy loss and setup due to breaking of random waves. Proceedings of the 16th Int. Conf. Coast. Eng., Hamburg, Germany, pp. 569-587.] and 2) steepness limited breaking modelled using an integrated form of the Hasselmann's whitecapping dissipation term, commonly used in fully spectral wind–wave models. The parameter γ₂, governing the maximum wave height at incipient breaking (H_max = γ₂d) is used as calibration factor to tune numerical model results to selected laboratory measurements. It is found that γ₂ varies mainly with the relative submergence depth (ratio of submergence depth at breakwater crest to significant wave height), and a simple relationship is proposed. It is shown that the transmission coefficients obtained using this approach compare favourably with those calculated using published empirical expressions.     

Wave diffraction by elliptical breakwaters in shallow water

The scattering of waves by both floating and submerged stationary elliptical breakwaters is investigated by means of linearised shallow water wave theory. This formulation leads to solutions for the fluid velocity potential in terms of Mathieu functions of real argument. Expressions are derived for the wave-induced forces and moments on the structures and their total and differential scattering cross-sections. Numerical results are presented for a range of wave and structural parameters.The present analysis serves as a prelude to a more comprehensive study of the problem without the shallow water restriction.     

Wave diffraction of breakwaters in the presence of a coastline

An integral method is described which is capable of computing the diffraction field produced by waves incident on a breakwater connected to or placed near a straight coastline. Some simple configurations are studied: a straight breakwater protruding normally from the coast, a straight breakwater parallel to the coast, an ‘elbow-shaped’ breakwater with one end connected to the coast, a pair of straight breakwaters protruding normally from the coast and a series of three equal straight breakwaters parallel to the coast. In all cases the water depth is assumed to be constant, while both the breakwater and the coastline walls are supposed to be perfectly reflective. Within the limits of these hypotheses the method is rather general, because breakwaters of arbitrary shape can be considered.     

Long wave reflection from submerged trapezoidal breakwaters

This study addresses the reflection and transmission of long waves from a trapezoidal breakwater and a series of trapezoidal breakwaters, using the matching method. A systematic shape transfer is derived to determine wave reflection and transmission. The peak Bragg reflection of long waves from a series of trapezoidal breakwaters is shifted toward low frequency. In spite of the spacing between any pair of breakwaters, the top plane width and the arrangement of the series of breakwaters are found to be the two major parameters in designing multiply composite Bragg breakwaters.     

Wave interaction with T-type breakwaters

The wave transmission, reflection and energy dissipation characteristics of partially submerged ‘T'-type breakwaters (Fig. 1) were studied using physical models. Regular and random waves, with wide ranges of wave heights and periods and a constant water depth were used. Five different depths of immersions of the ‘T'-type breakwater were selected. The coefficient of transmission, K_t, coefficient reflection, K_r, were obtained from the measurements and the coefficient of energy loss, K_l is calculated using the law of conservation of energy. It is found that the coefficient of transmission generally reduces with increased wave steepness and increased relative water depth, d/L. This breakwater is found to be effective closer to deep-water conditions. K_t values less than 0.35 is obtained for both normal and high input wave energy levels, when the horizontal barrier of the T type breakwater is immersed to about 7% of the water depth. This breakwater is also found to be very efficient in dissipating the incident wave energy to an extent of about 65% (i.e. K_l>0.8), especially for high input wave energy levels. The wave climate in front of the breakwater is also measured and studied.

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Fig. 1. Schematic view of the T-type breakwater.     

Performance of hemi-cylindrical and rectangular submerged breakwaters

A parametric experimental study is conducted to compare the reflection and transmission characteristics of submerged hemi-cylindrical and rectangular rigid and water-filled flexible breakwater models. The results show that, for the rigid breakwaters, rectangular models are more effective than hemi-cylindrical ones in terms of reduction of transmitted waves. As for the flexible breakwaters, the hemi-cylindrical models may give better wave reflection than rectangular ones. However, the energy loss induced by the rectangular breakwaters is much larger and more significant to result in an overall better efficiency in terms of reduction in wave transmission. The effects of internal pressure show that the lowest pressurized flexible models considered in this work are the most effective in the reduction of the transmitted wave height. Higher wave reflection, lower wave transmission and higher energy loss are obtained consistently at the lower submergence depth ratio.     

Numerical prediction of performance of submerged breakwaters

The results of a numerical model study on the transmission characteristics of a submerged breakwater are presented. Study aimed to determine the effect of depth of submergence, crest width, initial wave conditions and material properties on the transmission characteristics of the submerged breakwater. The results highlight the optimum crest width of the breakwater and optimum clear spacing between two breakwaters. A submerged permeable breakwater with d_s/d=0.5, p=0.3 and f=1.0, reduces the transmission coefficient by about 10% than the impermeable breakwater. The results indicates an optimum width ratio of B/d=0.75 for achieving minimum transmission. By restricting the effective width ratio of the series of breakwaters to 0.75, studies were conducted to determine the effect of clear spacing between breakwaters on transmission coefficient, suggesting an optimum clear spacing of w/b=2.00 to obtain K_t below 0.6.     

淹没矩形防波堤透反射系数特性研究

采用解析方法研究了斜向入射波作用下淹没矩形防波堤的透反射系数特性.首先利用特征函数展开法导出了绕射势函数的分析解和透反射系数的计算公式,然后利用边界元方法验证了解析解,在此基础上利用解析解分析了若干工况下的防波堤透反射特性.计算结果表明,淹没矩形防波堤截面的宽度、高度和相对位置以及入射角的改变都不同程度影响反射系数和透射系数.在中等深度条件下,对于一定频率的波浪,位置和尺寸适当的淹没矩形堤可以反射大部分斜向入射波.研究结果对设计淹没的矩形防波堤具有重要的参考价值.     

Performance of pile-restrained flexible floating breakwaters

The overall performance of pile-restrained flexible floating breakwaters is investigated under the action of linear monochromatic incident waves in the frequency domain. The aforementioned floating breakwaters undergo only vertical structural deflections along their length and are held in place by means of vertical piles. The total number of degrees of freedom equals the six conventional body modes, when the breakwater moves as a rigid body, plus the extra bending modes. These bending modes are introduced to represent the structural deflections of the floating breakwater and are described by the Bernoulli–Euler flexible beam equation. The number of bending modes introduced is determined through an appropriate iterative procedure. The hydrostatic coefficients corresponding to the bending modes are also derived. The numerical analysis of the flexible floating breakwaters is based on a three-dimensional hydrodynamic formulation of the floating body. A parametric study is carried out for a wide range of structural stiffness parameters and wave headings, to investigate their effect on the performance of flexible floating breakwaters. Moreover, this performance is compared with that of the corresponding pile-restrained rigid floating breakwater. Results indicated that the degree of structural stiffness and the wave heading strongly affect the performance of flexible floating breakwaters. The existence of an “optimum” value of structural stiffness is demonstrated for the entire wave frequency range.     

Modelling of waves and currents around submerged breakwaters

Recent experimental data collected during the DELOS project are used to validate two approaches for simulating waves and currents in the vicinity of submerged breakwaters.The first approach is a phase-averaged method in which a wave model is used to simulate wave transformation and calculate radiation stresses, while a flow model (2-dimensional depth averaged or quasi-3D) is used to calculate the resulting wave driven currents. The second approach is a phase resolving method in which a high order 2DH-Boussinesq-type model is used to calculate the waves and flow.The models predict wave heights that are comparable to measurements if the wave breaking sub-model is properly tuned for dissipation over the submerged breakwater. It is shown that the simulated flow pattern using both approaches is qualitatively similar to that observed in the experiments. Furthermore, the phase-resolving model shows good agreement between measured and simulated instantaneous surface elevations in wave flume tests.     

Wave interactions with multiple-row curtainwall-pile breakwaters

In this study, a mathematical model has been developed that can compute various hydrodynamic characteristics of a multiple-row curtainwall-pile breakwater. To examine the validity of the developed model, laboratory experiments have been conducted for double- and triple-row breakwaters with various combinations of drafts of curtain walls, porosities between piles, and distances between rows. Comparisons between measurement and prediction show that the mathematical model adequately reproduces most of the important features of the experimental results. As a whole, the transmission coefficient decreases with an increase in relative water depth, whereas the reflection coefficient, normalized run-up and force exhibit an opposite trend in their variations. With fixed values of the draft of the curtain wall and the porosity of lower perforated part of the first row of a double-row breakwater, as these values of the second row increase and decrease, respectively, the transmission coefficient decreases, as expected. On the other hand, their effects on wave reflection, run-up, and wave force change with the relative depth. As for the distance between the rows, the transmission coefficient becomes a maximum when it is about one half of the wave length, suggesting that this condition should be avoided to achieve the advantage of the breakwater in reducing wave transmission. It is shown that for prototype breakwaters, on an average, the transmission coefficient would be smaller than 0.3 for wave periods less than 6.0 s, and it would be about 0.45 even for the wave period of 9.0 s, although there would be a variation depending on the geometry of the breakwater. It is also shown that wave transmission is significantly reduced by multiple-row breakwaters compared with a single-row breakwater, while the difference between double-row and triple-row breakwaters is marginal. Finally, engineering monograms are provided for double-row breakwaters to be used in practical engineering applications of the breakwaters.     

Wave reflection from perforated-wall caisson breakwaters

Analytical models for predicting wave reflection from a perforated-wall caisson breakwater have been developed. Most of the existing models deal with the case in which the waves are normally incident to the caisson lying on a flat sea bottom. In the present paper, using the Galerkin-eigenfunction method, an analytical model is developed that can predict the reflection coefficient of a perforatedwall caisson mounted on a rubble mound foundation when waves are obliquely incident to the breakwater at an arbitrary angle. The developed model is compared with other theoretical results and hydraulic experimental data.     

Oblique wave diffraction by segmented offshore breakwaters

This paper presents a theoretical model to examine oblique wave diffraction by a detached breakwater system consisting of an infinite row of regularly-spaced thin, impermeable structures located in water of uniform depth. The fluid is assumed incompressible and inviscid and to undergo irrotational motion. Wave heights are assumed to be sufficiently small such that linear wave theory is applicable. The eigenfunction expansion solution of Dalrymple and Martin (1990) for normal wave incidence on this breakwater geometry is modified herein to study oblique wave effects. Numerical results, in the form of contour maps of the relative wave height behind the structure, or complex reflection coefficients, are presented for a range of wave and breakwater parameters. The accuracy of the present model is verified by a comparison with existing results for the limiting cases of an isolated detached breakwater, and a breakwater with a single gap. Also, for the multi-gap breakwater, the present solution is further verified for both normal and oblique wave incidence with results in the open literature.     

The interaction of surface water waves with submerged breakwaters

This paper concerns the behaviour of nonlinear regular waves interacting with rectangular submerged breakwaters. A new series of experimental results is presented and compared with numerical calculations based upon a Boundary Element Method (BEM) that utilises multiple fluxes to deal with the discontinuities encountered at the corners of the domain. Specifically, comparisons concern both the spatial water surface profiles at various times and the spatial evolution of the harmonics generated by the breakwaters, the latter being an important focus for the paper. The BEM is shown to accurately model both the water surface profile and the harmonic generation, provided the breakwater width is sufficient to ensure that flow separation is not a controlling influence. Furthermore, evidence is provided to confirm that reflection from rectangular submerged breakwaters is fundamentally a linear phenomenon.     

3-D non-breaking regular wave interaction with submerged breakwaters

Modelling of the transformation and interaction of regular wave trains with submerged permeable structures is carried out. The existing literature, is summarized relevant theories presented, and theoretical results are compared with existing laboratory data. Special attention is paid to wave reflection. The influence of wave characteristics including oblique incidence, structure geometry and porous material properties on the kinematics and dynamics over and inside the breakwater is considered. Two different models are presented: an eigenfunction expansion 3-D model and a 2-D model based on a mild-slope equation for porous media to account for breakwater slope.     

Bragg reflection of sinusoidal waves due to trapezoidal submerged breakwaters

Numerical and laboratory experiments are performed to investigate characteristics of the Bragg reflection due to multi-arrayed trapezoidal submerged breakwaters. The numerical model is based on the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the VOF method and the k–ε turbulence closure model. As expected, the reflection coefficients increase as the array of submerged breakwaters increases in both laboratory measurements and numerical results. The resonant periods provide similar relative wave numbers regardless of the permeability and the number of arrays. The reflection coefficients due to porous breakwaters are smaller than those due to non-porous breakwaters. The velocity contours for two and three arrays are also described.