Experimental Investigation on Solitary Wave Interaction With Vertical Porous Barriers

Tsunami waves pose a threat to the coastal zone, and numerous studies have been carried out in the past to understand them. Solitary waves have been extensively used in research because they approximate certain important characteristics of tsunami waves. The present study focusses on the interaction and run-up of solitary waves on coastal protection structures in the form of thin, rigid vertical porous barriers with special attention given to the degree of energy dissipation. To understand the physics of energy dissipation, solitary wave interaction with a porous barrier has been studied from the viewpoint of energy balance. Based on this, a relationship for the wave energy dissipation has been developed. The experimental data show that the plate porosity that gives the optimal energy dissipation lies within the 10–20% range. From the experiments, the phase shift that the solitary wave undergoes upon interaction with the porous barrier models has also been recorded. In addition, a formula is proposed for maximum wave run-up on the porous barrier, which should be useful in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of coastal protection structures.

Solitary Wave Interaction With Vertical Porous Barriers

Tsunami waves pose a threat to the coastal zone and numerous studies have been carried out in the past to understand them. The present study — carried out in the 2D wave flume at the Ocean Engineering Laboratory of IIT Bombay — focusses on the interaction and run-up of solitary waves on coastal protection structures in the form of thin, rigid vertical porous barriers with special attention given to the degree of energy dissipation. In order to understand the physics of the energy dissipation problem, the propagation of the solitary wave and its interaction with the porous barrier has been studied from the viewpoint of energy balance. Based on this, a proper relationship for the wave energy dissipated by the barrier has been developed. Using this relationship, the experimental data has been analyzed and we have determined that the plate porosity that gives the optimal energy dissipation characteristics lies within the 10–20% range. In addition, using the experimental data, we have derived a formula for calculating the maximum wave run-up on the porous barrier models which should be useful in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of coastal protection structures.