Experiment and RANS modeling of solitary wave impact on a vertical wall mounted on a reef flat

Abstract

A series of two-dimensional flume experiments were carried out to study turbulent bore impact on the vertical wall mounted on a reef flat. Turbulent bores were generated by solitary waves propagating on typical fringing reef profiles with and without reef crest. The idealized reef model has a 1:4 face slope and a long reef flat, with an impermeable vertical wall at the end. The solitary wave height varies from 14.1% to 30.0% of the water depth to cover a range of nonlinear wave conditions. Datasets of free surface elevation and flow velocity along fringing reef profiles and pressure on the vertical wall are acquired. Corresponding RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes)-type simulations are performed utilizing the open-source CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) OpenFOAM (Open Field Operation and Manipulation) package with the SST k−ω turbulence closure solver and validated using experimental data. The characteristics of the main hydrodynamic and impact processes are examined in detail. The predictive capability of OpenFOAM and three existing formulas for calculating the maximum lateral force are evaluated using measured data. A new predictive equation for peak pressure along the vertical wall is also proposed to achieve better agreement with the experimental data.