A numerical study of sheet flow driven by velocity and acceleration skewed near-breaking waves on a sandbar using SedWaveFoam

Abstract

A new methodology capable of concurrently resolving free surface wave field, bottom boundary layer, and sediment transport processes throughout the entire water column was recently developed in the OpenFOAM framework, called SedWaveFoam. In this study, SedWaveFoam is validated with large wave flume data for sheet flow driven by near-breaking waves. Good agreements are obtained for free surface elevation, flow velocity, turbulence kinetic energy, sediment concentration, and sheet flow sediment fluxes. Model results are used to investigate the joint effects of velocity skewness, acceleration skewness, and progressive wave streaming on sheet flow sediment transport. SedWaveFoam results are contrasted with rigid-lid one-dimensional-vertical model results to isolate the effect of the free surface. Onshore directed near-bed flow velocity and sediment flux are enhanced due to the presence of the free surface via progressive wave streaming. However, the enhancement of net onshore sediment transport for the near-breaking condition with both high velocity and acceleration skewness is several factors greater than that found in the nonbreaking condition with only high velocity skewness. Model results suggest that the large horizontal pressure gradient, which has a Sleath parameter exceeding 0.2, may play a key role. Momentary bed failure is identified via near-bed instability of the sheet flow layer, associated with a large bed shear stress and horizontal pressure gradient. Instantaneous near-bed vortices due to the near-bed instability correspond to the increase of horizontal pore pressure gradient during the wave crest, consistent with measured data. Model inter-comparison suggests that a two-dimensional model is crucial to capture the effect of momentary bed failure that increases sediment suspension during wave crest passage and net onshore sediment transport.