On the simulation of highly nonlinear wave-breakwater interactions

Abstract

A numerical time domain simulation model has been developed to study the highly nonlinear interactions between waves and rubble mound breakwaters. In this model, a volume of fluid (VOF) technique is used to capture the violent free surface motion. The incompressible Euler/Navier-Stokes equations, written in an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) frame, are solved using projection schemes and a finite element method on unstructured grids. A general advancing front technique for filling space with arbitrary separated objects is developed to model the rubbles that are laid down on the sloped surface of the breakwater in a random way. Three case studies are performed to study the effects of rubbles and rubble types on the wave dissipation and wave overtopping.

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