Wave Breaker Types on a Smooth and Impermeable 1:10 Slope

María Victoria Moragues,María Clavero,Miguel Á Losada

doi:10.3390/jmse8040296

María Victoria Moragues, María Clavero + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8040296

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Abstract

This research identified the types of wave breaker on a non-overtoppable, smooth and impermeable 1:10 slope under regular waves. Experimental tests were carried out in the Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction Flume of the Andalusian Institute for Earth System Research (University of Granada). Using the experimental space [log(h/L)–log(H/L)] and the alternate slope similarity parameter [χ = log (h/L H/L)], a complete set of breaker types was identified. Four types of wave breaker were then added to Galvin’s classification. Our results showed that the value of the Iribarren number was not sufficient to predict the expected type of wave breaker on the slope. Except for spilling and early plunging breakers, no biunivocal relationship was found between Ir and the type of breaker. The data obtained in the physical model were further enriched with the results of the flow characteristics and the wave energy transformation coefficients obtained with the IH-2VOF numerical model on a 1:10 impermeable slope. This research study, presented in this paper, showed that the Iribarren number is not a convenient wave breaking similarity parameter.

Highlights

The transformation of the wave train propagating on an impermeable slope depends, among other things, on the transport of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) from the following sources: (a) wave breaking causing advection and diffusion of turbulence, generating a vortex dependent on the breaking type; (b) the armor layer whose vortex depends on the characteristic diameter of the armor unit; and (c) the porous core whose turbulence scale depends on the grain size
References [5,6,7,8,9] developed numerical models based on the volume-averaged Reynolds average Navier–Stokes (VARANS) equations and using the volume of fluid (VOF) method for measuring the free surface
The objective of this research was to identify the types of wave breaker on a non-overtoppable, smooth, and impermeable 1:10 slope under regular waves

Summary

Introduction

Sloping breakwaters are the most common coastal structure for the protection of ports and beaches, because of their capacity to dissipate incident wave energy when interacting with the structure. In the case of breakwaters, very little attention has been paid to calculating wave dissipation as a function of the type of wave breaking on the slope. Several numerical and physical studies have studied the different types of wave breaking on an impermeable slope. References [5,6,7,8,9] developed numerical models based on the volume-averaged Reynolds average Navier–Stokes (VARANS) equations and using the volume of fluid (VOF) method for measuring the free surface. On the other hand, using numerical and mathematical models, ref. [9]

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