Experimental study on the performance of the multiple-layer breakwater

Based on the idea of disturbing the water motion in the upright direction, a new kind of multiple-layer breakwater is proposed in this article, which mainly consists of several horizontal plates. The breakwater's performance of dissipating waves has been investigated in detail in the regular wave tests. The factors identified with the characteristics of the breakwater are discussed, such as the relative width, the wave steepness and the models geometrical parameters (the width and the gap). The comparison and analysis of the transmission and reflection coefficients with respect to different factors are presented. The model test results indicate that the multiple-layer breakwater has the good characteristic of dissipating waves. Further more, only in a little extent can it reflect the waves. The multiple-layer breakwater proposed in the paper is very significative to promote the open type breakwater to be the permanent wave attenuator in the application.     

Wave reflection from partially perforated-wall caisson breakwater

In 1995, Suh and Park developed a numerical model that computes the reflection of regular waves from a fully perforated-wall caisson breakwater. This paper describes how to apply this model to a partially perforated-wall caisson and irregular waves. To examine the performance of the model, existing experimental data are used for regular waves, while a laboratory experiment is conducted in this study for irregular waves. The numerical model based on a linear wave theory tends to over-predict the reflection coefficient of regular waves as the wave nonlinearity increases, but such an over-prediction is not observed in the case of irregular waves. For both regular and irregular waves, the numerical model slightly over- and under-predicts the reflection coefficients at larger and smaller values, respectively, because the model neglects the evanescent waves near the breakwater.     

Wave interaction with a wave absorbing double curtain-wall breakwater

This study examines the hydrodynamic performance of a wave absorbing double curtain-wall breakwater. The breakwater consists of a seaward perforated wall and a shoreward impermeable wall. Both walls extend from above the seawater to some distance above the seabed. Then the below gap allows the seawater exchange, the sediment transport and the fish passage. By means of the eigenfunction expansion method and a least square approach, a linear analytical solution is developed for the interaction of water waves with the breakwater. Then the reflection coefficient, the transmission coefficient and the wave forces acting on the walls are calculated. The numerical results obtained for limiting cases agree very well with previous predictions for a single partially immersed impermeable wall, the double partially immersed impermeable walls and the bottom-standing Jarlan-type breakwater. The predicted reflection coefficients for the present breakwater also agree reasonable with previous experimental results. Numerical results show that with appropriate structure parameters, the reflection and transmission coefficients of the breakwater may be both below 0.5 at a wide range of the relative water depth. At the same time, the magnitude of wave force acting on each wall is small. This is significant for practical engineering.     

Laboratory experiments for wave motions and turbulence flows in front of a breakwater

In this paper, laboratory data for free surface displacements and velocity fields in front of a caisson breakwater covered with wave-dissipating blocks, together with wave pressures acting on the caisson, are presented and discussed. The core of the breakwater is made of a concrete caisson with a vertical front wall. The caisson is protected by a thick layer of tetrapods and is supported by a rubble mound. The breakwater is placed on the 1/25 impermeable slope. Two types of incident waves are used in the experiments: nonbreaking waves and spilling-type breaking waves. In the breaking wave case, the incident wave breaks offshore before it reaches the breakwater. The velocity data are obtained by using both the Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) and the Electromagnetic Current Meter (EMCM). The raw data are analyzed using a numerical-filtering scheme so that turbulent fluctuations are separated from the phase-dependent wave motions. The vertical profiles of the time-averaged (over a wave period) turbulent velocity components at several vertical cross-sections in front of the breakwater are then analyzed. The spatial variations of the time-averaged turbulence velocity suggest that turbulence is generated inside the protective armor layer and transported into the flow region in front of the breakwater. The wave pressures on the vertical face and on the bottom of the caisson are also reported.     

Numerical investigation on the dynamics of a vertical wall defenced by an offshore breakwater

The numerical and experimental investigations on the performance of an offshore-submerged breakwater in reducing the wave forces and wave run-up on vertical wall are presented. A two-dimensional finite-element model is employed to study the hydrodynamic performance of the submerged breakwater under the action of regular and random waves. The numerical prediction has been supported with experimental measurements. The wave forces and wave run-up on the vertical wall were measured for different breakwater configurations. The applicability of linear theoretical model in the prediction of wave forces on the wall by a submerged breakwater has been discussed.     

A general theory of three-dimensional wave groups Part II: Interaction with a breakwater

The equation obtained in Part I predicts how an exceptionally high wave occurs at any fixed point within a wind wave field. The equation may be applied with a theoretical spectrum or directly with the random time series obtained by an array of wave gauges in the field. From both approaches, it emerges that a very high wave at a breakwater occurs because a well-defined three-dimensional wave group at the apex of its development hits against the breakwater, and that a very high wave at some distance before the breakwater occurs because of the collision of two wave groups: the first one going back after having been reflected, and the second one approaching the breakwater. In order to test the theory, a special breakwater was assembled off the beach at Reggio-Calabria where the significant height of the wind waves typically ranges from 0.20 to 0.40 m. When an exceptionally high wave (H = 9.6 σ) occurred at a point before this breakwater, the records made by a gauge array confirmed all the essential features of the prediction.     

Wave interaction with a semi-porous cylindrical breakwater mounted on a storage tank

The interaction of linear water waves with a semi-porous cylindrical breakwater surrounding a rigid vertical circular cylinder mounted on a storage tank is investigated theoretically. The cylindrical breakwater structure is porous in the vicinity of the free-surface, while at some distance below the water surface it becomes impermeable. Under the assumptions of linearized potential flow, the coupled problem of flow in the interior and exterior fluid regions is solved by an eigenfunction expansion approach. Analytical expressions are obtained for the wave motion in both the interior and exterior flow regions. Numerical results are presented which illustrate the effects of the various wave and structural parameters on the hydrodynamic loads and interior and exterior wave fields. It is found that for certain parameter combinations the semi-porous, cylindrical breakwater may result in a significant reduction in the wave field and hydrodynamic forces experienced by the interior structure.     

Moored floating breakwater response to regular and irregular waves

The simple, yet versatile numerical technique particularly suitable for investigating the problem of the wave attenuation by moored floating breakwater was recently developed by the author. In order to verift the theory, nearly full scale model tests were conducted in a large wave tank ($\text{3.6}\text{m wide}\text{× 4.5}\text{m high}\text{× 106}\text{m long}$). Both random waves and monochromatic waves were used to compare the results. A breakwater with a rectangular cross-section and a hydrodynamically shaped «three-cycle cylinderå breakwater were tested. Incident wave spectra were successfully decomposed from the multi-reflected sea spectra. Frequency response functions of transmitted wave, sway, heave and roll motions of the breakwater as well as mooring forces were all experimentally determined and compared with the theory. Generally, excellent agreements between the theory, the random wave tests and the monochromatic wave tests were obtained for the hydrodynamically shaped breakwater. Except near the modal frequencies of body motion generally good agreement between theory and experiment was obtained for the rectangular breakwater. Near the modal frequencies, the body motion was damped by the flow separation at the sharp corners of the rectangular breakwater. Generation of higher harmonics in wave, body motion and mooring forces was observed and measured, but was generally small. The slow drift oscillation and its effects on the performance of the spring moored breakwaters were also small. From the comaprisons of the small scale test and the large scale tests, it was found that the scale effects were negligibly small on the performance of the spring-moored breakwaters.     

Hydrodynamic characteristics of semi-immersed breakwater with an attached porous plate

In the present study, wave interaction with a fixed, partially immersed breakwater of box type with a plate attached (impermeable-permeable) at the front part of the structure is investigated numerically and experimentally. The large scale laboratory experiments on the interaction of regular waves with the special breakwater were conducted in the wave flume of Laboratori d’Enginyeria Marνtima (LIM) at Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona. Experimental results are compared with numerical results obtained with the use of the Cornell breaking Wave and Structures (COBRAS) wave model. The effects of an impermeable as well as a permeable plate attached to the bottom of the breakwater on its hydrodynamic characteristics (wave transmission, reflection, dissipation, velocity and turbulence kinetic energy) are investigated. Computed velocities and turbulence kinetic energy in the vicinity of the structure indicate the effects of the breakwater with the attached (impermeable/permeable) plate on the flow pattern and the turbulence structure. The attached impermeable plate at the front part of the breakwater enhances significantly the efficiency of the structure in attenuating the incident waves. The permeable plate reduces the efficiency of the structure since wave energy is transmitted through the porous body of the plate. Based on the hydrodynamic characteristics it is inferred that the breakwater with an impermeable plate attached to its bottom is more efficient. The comparison of horizontal and vertical forces acting on the breakwater for all cases examined reveals that plate porosity influences slightly vertical force and severely horizontal force acting on the structure, reducing maximum values in both cases.     

聚焦波作用下透水潜堤消波特性数值模拟研究

基于非静压数值计算模型,本文系统研究了聚焦波作用下透水潜堤的消波特性,通过设置合理的计算工况,详细分析了波高、堤顶水深、谱峰周期、孔隙率以及堤顶宽度5种因素对透水潜堤消波特性的影响。与此同时,本文将透水潜堤的计算结果同不透水潜堤的计算结果进行了对比分析。计算结果表明:透水潜堤对聚焦波的消减作用要强于不透水潜堤,从而说明,透水潜堤能更有效地降低畸形波对海岸基础设施的影响;波高和堤顶水深是影响潜堤消波特性的重要因素,随入射波高增加、堤顶水深减小,透水潜堤对波浪的消减作用逐渐增强。透水潜堤对长周期波浪的消波效果较差。在本文考虑的孔隙率范围内,孔隙率越大,透水潜堤消波效果越好;当孔隙率为0.4,堤顶宽度为0.612 5 m时,透水潜堤可消减54%的入射波能,比不透水潜堤对入射波能的消减增加36.1%。本文研究结果可为进一步认识透水潜堤的消波特性和海岸防护工程设计提供相应的参考。     

Wave interaction with an upright breakwater structure

Breakwaters are often built in coastal waters to facilitate navigation and recreation, both inside and outside regions of the breakwater. This requires that the reflection and transmission characteristics of the structure be both minimized at the same time. This is achieved by a design that will allow dissipation of wave energy by multiple reflection. Such structures will need the knowledge of these characteristics in their design. Model tests were performed on a shallow water breakwater concept of this type to determine the reflection and transmission coefficients. The concept of the breakwater was to reduce both the reflection and transmission of waves. It was found that the breakwater design was effective at certain wave characteristics. Nondimensional loads and local pressures on the breakwater panels are also reported which will facilitate the structural design of such breakwaters.     

Experimental study of the breaking limit of multi-directional random waves passing over an impermeable submerged breakwater

This study investigates experimentally the breaking wave height of multi-directional random waves passing over an impermeable submerged breakwater. Experiments have been conducted in a three-dimensional wave basin equipped with a multi-directional random wave generator. A special type of wave gauge has been newly devised to record the water surface elevations in the breaker zone as accurately as possible. The records are analyzed to estimate the location and limit of wave breaking. Comparisons have also been made with the results of regular waves. The influence of the incident wave conditions on the breaking wave height normalized by the breakwater dimensions has been investigated. Empirical formulae have been presented to estimate the breaking limit of multi-directional random waves based on the experimental records. The formulae have been tested and found to work well not only for multi-directional random waves, but for regular waves as well.     

Water surface resonance in the L-shaped channel of seawater exchange breakwater

The resonance period of the L-shaped channel in the caisson is predicted analytically for the seawater exchange breakwater of “Applicability Study of the Seawater Exchange Breakwater (1). Korea Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (in Korean) (1999a)”. Hydraulic experiments are conducted for a composite breakwater with a rear reservoir that is one of the seawater exchange breakwaters developed by them. For regular waves, the water surface elevation in the channel and the flow rate through the breakwater are measured. For irregular waves, the flow rate through the breakwater and the reflection coefficient on the breakwater are measured. The resonant maximum values in both the surface elevation and the flow rate, and the resonant minimum values in the reflection coefficient are all at wave periods slightly longer than analytically predicted ones. The measured resonance period for irregular waves is closer to the predicted one than for regular waves. If the resonance period of the L-shaped channel is fitted to the dominant period of incident waves, there would be high efficiency of seawater exchange between inside and outside the harbor.     

Experimental studies on a perforated horizontal floating plate breakwater

In recent years floating breakwaters are considered for creating calm basin under open sea conditions for short period of time. In this paper, experimental studies on the performance characteristics of a horizontal floating plate breakwater are presented. The results of this two-dimensional model study are for regular waves of shallow and intermediate water depths. Analysis of the results shows that the transmission coefficient is strongly influenced by wave steepness and relative length of breakwater. It is also found to be dependent, to a lesser extent, on the relative depth of draft. Mooring forces are found to increase with increasing wave steepness and relative depth of draft. The performance of this breakwater is compared with other types of breakwater reported by earlier workers.     

Refraction and diffraction of random waves through breakwater

A physical model study of combined refraction and diffraction of waves through a breakwater gap at different incident angles was conducted. Both regular and random waves with narrow and broad frequency and direction spreading were studied. Besides the presence of a mild bottom slope in the lee of the breakwater, the distribution of wave heights across the width of a navigation channel inside the model harbor was also simulated. In addition to contributing to an understanding of the phenomenon of refraction and diffraction of random waves, the relatively complete set of data obtained can serve as a benchmark for testing of numerical models.     

深水工况下弧面胸墙沉箱堤的反射形态分析

为推广应用新型弧面胸墙沉箱堤,结合模型试验和数值模拟对比分析了深水工况下弧面胸墙沉箱堤和削角胸墙沉箱堤的反射形态。波面和波压的数值结果与试验数据吻合良好,验证了数值方法的有效性。反射系数表明,入射波浪在与弧面胸墙沉箱堤相互作用过程中的能量损耗最小,其反射强于削角胸墙沉箱堤。波面和流速包络图显示,两种堤型均在堤前形成了部分立波系统,腹点和节点以四分之一波长的距离增量交替出现,胸墙和直立部分产生的反射波存在相位差,导致初始腹点的位置向海侧偏移。弧面胸墙沉箱堤前叠合波的相位差影响最小,腹点包络高度最大,节点包络高度最小,反射效应最明显。两种堤型前中下层水流的周期平均速度均较小且对称,表明底床泥沙不会产生趋势性输移,但迎浪基床上方的环流系统可能引起局部冲刷。相对而言,弧面胸墙沉箱堤前的环流强度最弱,更有利于冲刷防护。     

Wave transformation over submerged permeable breakwater on porous bottom

A numerical model is presented in this study to investigate the wave transformation over a submerged permeable breakwater on a porous slope seabed. For this purpose, the time-dependent mild-slope equation is newly derived for waves propagating over two layers of porous medium. This new mild-slope equation involves the parameters of the porous medium, and it is a type of hyperbolic differential equation, therefore numerically efficient. The validity of the present model is verified based on the comparisons with the previous experiments. The effects of the permeable properties of both the porous seabed and the submerged permeable breakwater are discussed in detail. The geometry of the submerged permeable breakwater to the wave transformation is also investigated based on the numerical solutions.     

Behaviour of rubble-mound breakwater in directional and uni-directional waves

The application of directional waves in design processes has clearly received much interest during recent years. Thus, in model testing with moored ships and offshore structures, significant deviations have been revealed between results obtained in traditional uni-directional wave trains and those obtained in directional wave fields. Whether the same tendency is valid in connection with the design of rubble mound breakwaters is studied in the present project. A breakwater with a front slope of 1:2 is tested at the scale 1:40. The weight and diameter of the stones in the core, filter and armour layers were carefully selected, and the sources of scatter in repeated tests were minimized. Furthermore, the incident wave energy was accurately adjusted to keep the same level in both uni-directional and directional waves. For the actual rubble-mound breakwater unambiguous results were obtained. When uni-directional waves were applied, the damage increased by 30–50% relative to the directional wave situation.     

V形防波堤与圆弧型防波堤之浅水波绕射作用的比较

应用椭圆余弦波的绕射理论,推导了V形防波堤的浅水波浪绕射解析解,从而对现有的Airy微幅波理论进行了有效拓展。据此理论对V形防波堤的浅水波绕射作用进行了解析计算,并与几何形状相近的圆弧型防波堤结果加以了对比。结果表明：椭圆余弦波理论计算的V形防波堤最大波浪力和最大绕射波面明显大于微幅波理论的对应值。本方法适用于张角180°的有限长直立薄壁防波堤的浅水波绕射作用计算,从而将无限长直立薄壁堤的反射波理论加以有效拓展。张角同为120°的V形堤与圆弧堤的堤后防浪效果相近,而180°圆弧堤的堤后防浪效果优于张角90°的V形堤。