Tsunami-Driven Debris Motion and Loads: A Critical Review

Ioan Nistor,Nils Goseberg,Jacob Stolle

doi:10.3389/fbuil.2017.00002

Ioan Nistor, Nils Goseberg + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2017.00002

Copy DOI

Abstract

Recent natural disasters, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 Tohoku Tsunami, exhibited the importance of tsunami resistant infrastructure in high-risk coastal areas. The failure of critical infrastructure in tsunami-stricken communities has led to a recent emphasis on extreme loading conditions associated with tsunami events. One of the critical loads identified by previous research was debris loads. Debris is defined as solid objects entrained within the inundating flows and can range from construction materials to shipping vessels. The emphasis of tsunami loading has led to recent progression in the understanding of debris loads and effects, particularly in evaluating the impact of a single debris piece on a structure. The following paper reviews state-of-the-art research in tsunami-driven debris motion and loads and identifies future directions of research into debris loads and effects to aid in the design of tsunami-resistant infrastructure.

Highlights

Tsunamis are among the most destructive and deadly natural disasters
In determining maximum debris loads, the hydrodynamic boundary conditions must be carefully considered within the experimental procedure; it is generally recommended to aim at scales as large as possible to accurately model debris impact processes (Chock, 2016)
One of the loads identified from these field surveys is debris loads, where objects entrained within the flow can impact and accumulate onto structures, causing supplementary loads in addition to the previously considered hydraulic ones

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Tsunamis are among the most destructive and deadly natural disasters. Several recent events, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the 2010 Chilean Tsunami, and the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami, have emphasized the importance of studying tsunami-induced loading conditions. In the aftermath of tsunami events, reviews of current building standards have clearly shown that existing standards do not properly account for, or in some cases explicitly address, tsunami loads and effects (Palermo et al, 2009) These findings have led to an increased emphasis on the need to understand tsunami flow conditions and associated loads by researchers, engineers, and policy makers in an attempt to design tsunami-resilient infrastructure. The objective of this review is to (1) evaluate the current state-of-the-art research into tsunami-driven debris motion and loads, (2) indicate areas of research needs, (3) highlight results from a collaborative research effort by the University of Ottawa, Canada, the University of Hannover, Germany, and Waseda University, Japan, to develop new experimental methods to evaluate debris motion, and, (4) evaluate debris impact loads on structures.

LITERATURE REVIEW

CONCLUSIONS