Numerical Simulation of Solitary Wave Forces on A Vertical Cylinder on A Slope Beach

Abstract

Wave forces acting on a vertical cylinder at different locations on a slope beach in the near-shore region are investigated considering solitary waves as incoming waves. Based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the k-ε turbulence model, wave forces due to the interaction between the solitary wave and cylinder are simulated and analyzed with different incident wave heights and cylinder locations. The numerical results are first compared with previous theoretical and experimental results to validate the model accuracy. Then, the wave forces and characteristics around the cylinder are studied, including the velocity field, wave surface elevation and pressure. The effects of relative wave height, Keulegan-Carpenter (KC) number and cylinder locations on the wave forces are also discussed. The results show that the wave forces exerted on a cylinder exponentially increase with the increasing incident wave height and KC number. Before the wave force peaks, the growth rate of the wave force shows an increasing trend as the cylinder moves onshore. The cylinder location has a notable effect on the wave force on the cylinder in the near-shore region. As the cylinder moves onshore, the wave force on the cylinder initially increases and then decreases. For the cases considered here, the maximum wave force appears when the cylinder is located one cylinder diameter below the still-water shoreline. Furthermore, the fluid velocity peaks when the maximum wave force appears at the same location.