Academic literature on the topic 'Overtopping flow velocity'

Due to ongoing climate change, overtopping risk is increasing. In order to have effective countermeasures, it is useful to understand overtopping processes in details. In this study overtopping flow on a dike with gentle and shallow foreshores are investigated using a non-hydrostatic wave-flow model, SWASH (an acronym of Simulating WAves till SHore). The SWASH model in 2DV (i.e., flume like configuration) is first validated using the data of long crested wave cases with second order wave generation in the physical model test conducted. After that it is used to produce overtopping flow in different wave conditions and bathymetries. The results indicated that the overtopping risk is better characterized by the time dependent h (overtopping flow depth) and u (overtopping flow velocity) instead of hmax (maximum overtopping flow depth) and umax (maximum overtopping flow velocity), which led to overestimation of the risk. The time dependent u and h are strongly influenced by the dike configuration, namely by the promenade width and the existence of a vertical wall on the promenade: the simulation shows that the vertical wall induces seaward velocity on the dike which might be an extra risk during extreme events.

Wave overtopping discharges at coastal structures are well described in the EurOtop Manual (2007), including the distribution of overtopping wave volumes. Each volume that overtops a dike or levee will have a certain flow velocity and depth record in time, often given by the maximum velocity and flow depth. This paper describes some further development of the theory on flow depth and velocities on the crest, but will also show an inconsistency with respect to the mass balance. The second part of the paper gives an analysis of measured values on real dikes, simulated by the Wave Overtopping Simulator. It gives also the method of "cumulative hydraulic load" to compare overtopping discharges for different wave conditions. A large wave height with less overtopping waves, but larger overtopping wave volumes, is more damaging than a small wave height with more, but smaller overtopping volumes, even if the overtopping discharge is similar. The reasons to develop the cumulative hydraulic load have been compared with the recently in the US developed method of erosional equivalence.

Overtopping events may cause different failure modes depending on overtopped flow characteristics. Most of the studies about overtopping hazard analysis link the damages caused by the overtopping event to its mean overtopping discharge (q), which provides no information about overtopped flow characteristics or its spatial distribution. In this paper it is presented a non intrusive measurement system based on video imagery techniques and optical level sensors (OLS), which aim is to obtain overtopped highly aerated flows´ principal characteristics: velocity, volume, and density, in order to deep in the knowledge of this phenomenon, and minimizing the damages that it may cause to port´s infrastructures and exploitation

Design criteria for coastal defenses exposed to wave overtopping are usually assessed by mean overtopping discharges and maximum individual overtopping volumes. However, it is often difficult to give clear and precise limits of tolerable overtopping for all kinds of layouts. A few studies analyzed the relationship between wave overtopping flows and hazard levels for people on sea dikes, confirming that one single value of admissible mean discharge or individual overtopping volume is not a sufficient indicator of the hazard, but detailed characterization of flow velocities and depths is required. This work presents the results of an experimental campaign aiming at analyzing the validity of the safety limits and design criteria for overtopping discharge applied to an urbanized stretch of the Catalan coast, exposed to significant overtopping events every stormy season. The work compares different safety criteria for pedestrians. The results prove that the safety of pedestrians on a sea dike can be still guaranteed, even for overtopping volumes larger than 1,000 L/m. Sea storms characterized by deep-water wave height between 3.6 and 4.5 m lead to overtopping flow depth values larger than 1 m and flow velocities up to 20 m/s. However, pedestrian hazard is proved to be linked to the combination of overtopping flow velocity and flow depth rather than to single maximum values of one of these parameters. The use of stability curves to assess people’s stability under overtopping waves is therefore advised.

The wave overtopping flow can exert high hydraulic loads on the grass cover of dikes leading to failure of the cover layer on the crest and the landward slope. Hydraulic variables such as the near bed velocity, pressure, shear stress and normal stress are important to describe the forces that may lead to cover erosion. This paper presents a numerical model in the open source software OpenFOAM® to simulate the overtopping flow on the grass-covered crest and slope of individual overtopping waves for a range of landward slope angles. The model provides insights on how the hydraulic forces change along the profile and how irregularities in the profile affect these forces. The effect of irregularities in the grass cover on the overtopping flow are captured in the Nikuradse roughness height calibrated in this study. The model was validated with two datasets of overtopping tests on existing grass-covered dikes in the Netherlands. The model results show good agreement with measurements of the flow velocity in the top layer of the wave, as well as the near bed velocity. The model application shows that the pressure, shear stress and normal stress are maximal at the wave front. High pressures occur at geometrical transitions such as the start and end of the dike crest and at the inner toe. The shear stress is maximal on the lower slope, and the normal stress is maximal halfway of the slope, making these locations vulnerable to cover failure due to high loads. The exact location of the maximum forces depends on the overtopping volume. Furthermore, the model shows that the maximum pressure and maximum normal stress are largely affected by the steepness of the landward slope, but the slope steepness only has a small effect on the maximum flow velocity and maximum shear stress compared to the overtopping volume. This new numerical model is a useful tool to determine the hydraulic forces along the profile to find vulnerable points for cover failure and improve the design of grass-covered flood defences.

This paper presents a new empirical relation for the shape factor in the Weibull distribution that describes the distribution of overtopping wave volumes. This improvement increases the applicable range of the Weibull distribution from very low average overtopping discharges to large discharges resulting from combined wave overtopping and steady surge overflow at negative freeboards. The effect this improvement has on wave overtopping simulation is also discussed. Measured maximum flow thicknesses, velocities, and discharges from experiments of combined wave and surge overtopping are examined to learn more about the variability of these key parameters as a function of individual overtopping wave volumes. A key finding is that wave volumes containing the 2%-exceedance value of maximum velocity typically have maximum flow thicknesses well below the 2%-exceedance level, and vice-versa. Furthermore, the 2%-exceedance hydrodynamic parameters do not occur in the 2%-exceedance wave volumes. Finally, empirical relationships are developed for several parameters that showed strong trends.

The main objective of this paper is to characterize the flow field on the front face of an oscillating wave surge converter (OWSC) under a regular wave. For this purpose, the longitudinal and vertical velocity components were measured using an Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP). In order to explain the main trends of the OWSC’s dynamics, the experimental data were firstly compared with the analytical results of potential theory. A large discrepancy was observed between experimental and analytical results, caused by the nonlinear behavior of wave-OWSC interaction that determine the turbulent field and the boundary layer. The experimental velocity field shows a strong ascendant flow generated by the mass transfer over the flap (overtopping) and flow rotation generated by the beginning of the flap deceleration and acceleration. These features (overtopping and flow rotation) have an important role on the power capture of OWSC and, therefore, analytical results are not accurate to describe the complex hydrodynamics of OWSC.

This research paper presents an incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (ISPH) technique to investigate a regular wave overtopping on the coastal structure of different types. The SPH method is a mesh-free particle modeling approach that can efficiently treat the large deformation of free surface. The incompressible SPH approach employs a true hydrodynamic formulation to solve the fluid pressure that has less pressure fluctuations. The generation of flow turbulence during the wave breaking and overtopping is modeled by a subparticle scale (SPS) turbulence model. Here the ISPH model is used to investigate the wave overtopping over a coastal structure with and without the porous material. The computations disclosed the features of flow velocity, turbulence, and pressure distributions for different structure types and indicated that the existence of a layer of porous material can effectively reduce the wave impact pressure and overtopping rate. The proposed numerical model is expected to provide a promising practical tool to investigate the complicated wave-structure interactions.

Transitions in the dike revetment or in the grass cover can significantly affect the wave overtopping discharge and the dike cover erosion. At the University of Twente, two PhD students recently started on the challenge of quantifying the effect of (1) waterside transition on the wave overtopping discharge and (2) transitions in grass covered dikes on dike erosion. In this paper we present their preliminary results and outline their future plans. Firstly, new laboratory experiments show that the existing wave overtopping formulas are not able to accurately predict the overtopping discharge in case of transitions on the waterside slope. Secondly, the analytical dike cover erosion model shows that transitions in grass covers significantly affect the location of maximum flow velocity and potential dike cover erosion. In future work, detailed numerical models will be developed for both the waterside slope and the landward slope to further increase our understanding of the effects of transitions on the wave overtopping discharge and the dike cover erosion.

[ES] El cambio climático y la conciencia social sobre el impacto de las infraestructuras en el medio está llevando a la necesidad de diseñar diques en talud con cotas de coronación reducidas frente a eventos de rebase más extremos. Además, la mayoría de estos diques se construyen en zonas de profundidades reducidas, donde el oleaje rompe a causa de la limitación por fondo. Estudios recientes apuntan a la necesidad de considerar no sólo la caudal medio de rebase (q) sino también el máximo volumen individual de rebase (Vmax), el espesor de lámina de agua (OLT) y la velocidad del flujo de rebase (OFV) en el diseño de la cota de coronación de un dique en talud según criterios de rebase. No obstante, existen pocos estudios en la literatura científica centrados en Vmax en estructuras costeras sometidas a oleaje limitado por fondo. Además, estos estudios proporcionan resultados contradictorios en relación a la influencia de la limitación por fondo del oleaje sobre Vmax. En cuanto a OLT y OFV, no se han encontrado estudios en la literatura científica que permitan su predicción en diques en talud. En esta tesis doctoral, se han realizado ensayos físicos 2D en diques en talud rebasables (0.3≤Rc/Hm0≤2.5) sin espaldón y con tres mantos principales (Cubípodo®-1L, cubo-2L y escollera-2L) sobre dos pendientes de fondo suaves (m=2% and 4%) en condiciones de oleaje limitado por fondo (0.2≤Hm0/h≤0.9). Vmax junto con q son las variables más recomendadas en la literatura científica para diseñar la cota de coronación de diques en talud según criterios de rebase. En el presente estudio, los mejores resultados en la estimación de Vmax*=Vmax/(gHm0T012) se han obtenido empleando la función de distribución Weibull de dos parámetros con un coeficiente de determinación R2=0.833. Durante la fase de diseño de un dique en talud, es necesario predecir q para calcular Vmax cuando se emplean los métodos dados en la literatura científica. Por tanto, se debe estimar q con fines de diseño si no se dispone de observaciones directas. En caso de emplear la red neuronal CLASH NN para estimar q (R2=0.636), la bondad de ajuste de la función de distribución Weibull de dos parámetros propuesta en esta tesis para predecir Vmax* es R2=0.617. Así, el ratio entre Vmax* medido y estimado cae dentro del rango de 1/2 a 2 (banda de confianza del 90%) cuando se emplea q estimado con CLASH NN. Los nuevos estimadores desarrollados en la presente disertación proporcionan resultados satisfactorios en la predicción de Vmax* con un método más simple que aquellos propuestos en la literatura científica. No se ha encontrado una influencia significativa de la pendiente de fondo ni de la limitación por fondo del oleaje sobre Vmax* en este estudio. OLT y OFV están directamente relacionados con la estabilidad hidráulica de la coronación del dique y la seguridad peatonal frente a rebase. Por tanto, se requiere estimar OLT y OFV en la coronación del dique para diseñar apropiadamente su cota de coronación empleando criterios de rebase. En este estudio, se han empleado redes neuronales para desarrollar nuevos estimadores explícitos que permiten predecir OLT y OFV superados por el 2% del oleaje incidente con un alto coeficiente de determinación (0.866≤R2≤0.867). El número de cifras significativas apropiado para los coeficientes experimentales de dichos estimadores se ha determinado en base a su variabilidad. El punto óptimo en el que las características del oleaje deben ser estimadas para predecir OLT y OFV se ha identificado a una distancia de 3h desde el pie de la estructura (siendo h la profundidad a pie de dique). La pendiente de fondo tiene influencia sobre OLT y OFV. Los valores más extremos de OLT y OFV se han descrito empleando las distribuciones Exponencial de un parámetro y Rayleigh, respectivamente, con resultados satisfactorios (0.803≤R2≤0.812).
[CA] El canvi climàtic i la consciència social sobre l'impacte de les infraestructures al medi està portant a la necessitat de dissenyar dics en talús amb cotes de coronació reduïdes front a esdeveniments d'ultrapassament més extrems. A més, la majoria dels dics es construeixen en zones amb profunditats reduïdes on l'onatge es trenca a causa de la limitació per fons. Estudis recents apunten a la necessitat de considerar no solament el cabal mitjà de sobrepasse (q) sinó també el màxim volum individual de sobrepasse (Vmax), l'espessor de la làmina d'aigua (OLT) i la velocitat del flux de sobrepasse (OFV) pel disseny de la cota de coronació d'un dic en talús segons criteris de sobrepasse. No obstant, existeixen pocs estudis a la literatura científica centrats en Vmax en estructures costeres sotmeses a onatge limitat per fons. Addicionalment, aquests estudis proporcionen resultats contradictoris en relació a la influència de la limitació per fons de l'onatge sobre Vmax. Quant a OLT i OFV, no s'han trobat estudis a la literatura científica que permeten la seua predicció a dics en talús. En aquesta tesi doctoral, s'han realitzat assajos físics 2D amb dics en talús amb sobrepassos rellevants (0.3≤Rc/Hm0≤2.5) sense espatlló i amb tres elements al mantell principal (Cubípode-1L, cubs-2L i esculleres-2L) ubicats sobre pendents de fons suaus (m=2% i 4%) en condicions d'onatge limitat pel fons (0.2≤Hm0/h≤0.9). Vmax conjuntament amb q són les variables més recomanades a la literatura científica per dissenyar la cota de coronació en dics en talús segons criteris d'ultrapassament. Al present estudi, els millors resultats en l'estimació de Vmax*=Vmax/(gHm0T012) s'han obtingut utilitzant la funció de distribució Weibull de dos paràmetres amb un elevat coeficient de determinació R2=0.833. Durant la fase de disseny d'un dic en talús, és necessari predir q per calcular Vmax quan s'utilitzen els mètodes donats a la literatura científica. Per tant, es deu estimar q amb fins de disseny si no es disposa d'observacions directes. Si s'aplica la xarxa neuronal de CLASH NN per estimar q (R2=0.636), la bondat d'ajust de la funció de distribució Weibull de dos paràmetres proposada a aquesta tesi per predir Vmax* és R2=0.617. Així doncs, el ràtio entre el Vmax* mesurat i estimat es troba dins del rang de 1/2 a 2 (banda de confiança del 90%) quan s'usa q predit amb CLASH NN. Els nous estimadors desenvolupats a aquesta dissertació proporcionen resultats satisfactoris en la predicció de Vmax* amb un mètode més senzill que aquells proposats a la literatura científica. No s'ha trobat una influència significativa de la pendent de fons ni de la limitació de l'onatge per fons sobre Vmax* a aquest estudi. OLT i OFV estan directament relacionats amb l'estabilitat hidràulica de la coronació de dics i la seguretat de vianants front a ultrapassaments. Per tant, es requereix estimar OLT i OFV en la coronació de dics per dissenyar apropiadament la seua cota de coronació utilitzant criteris de sobrepasse. En aquest estudi, s'han usat xarxes neuronals per desenvolupar nous estimadors explícits que permeten predir OLT i OFV superats pel 2% de l'onatge incident amb un elevat coeficient de determinació (0.866≤R2≤0.867). El nombre de xifres significatives apropiat per als coeficients experimentals dels mencionats estimadors s'ha determinat basant-se en la seua variabilitat. El punt òptim on determinar les característiques de l'onatge deuen ser estimades per predir OLT i OFV s'ha identificat a una distància de 3h des del peu de l'estructura (on h és la profunditat a peu de dic). La pendent de fons té influència sobre OLT i OFV. Els valors més extrems de OLT i OFV s'han descrit amb les distribucions Exponencial d'un paràmetre i Rayleigh, respectivament, amb resultats satisfactoris (0.803≤R2≤0.812).
[EN] Climate change and the social concern about the impact of infrastructures is leading to mound breakwaters with reduced crest freeboards facing higher extreme overtopping events. In addition, most mound breakwaters are built in the surf zone where depth-limited wave breaking takes place. Recent studies point out the need of considering not only the mean wave overtopping discharge (q) but also the maximum individual wave overtopping volume (Vmax), the overtopping layer thickness (OLT) and the overtopping flow velocity (OFV) when designing mound breakwater crest elevation using overtopping criteria. However, few studies in the literature are focused on Vmax on coastal structures under depth-limited breaking wave conditions. In addition, those few studies report contradictory conclusions regarding the significance of depth-limited breaking waves on Vmax. With respect to OLT and OFV, no studies are found in the literature for their prediction on mound breakwaters. In this PhD thesis, 2D physical model tests were conducted on overtopped mound breakwaters (0.3≤Rc/Hm0≤2.5) without a crown wall armored with three armor layers (Cubipod®-1L, cube-2L and rock-2L) on two gentle bottom slopes (m=2% and 4%) in depth-limited breaking wave conditions (0.2≤Hm0/h≤0.9). Vmax together with q are the most recommended variables in the literature to design mound breakwater crest elevation based on overtopping criteria. In the present study, the 2-parameter Weibull distribution provides the best results when estimating Vmax*=Vmax/(gHm0T012) with coefficient of determination R2=0.833. During the design phase of a mound breakwater, q is needed to predict Vmax using methods given in the literature. Thus, q must be estimated for design purposes when direct observations are not available. If CLASH NN is used to estimate q (R2=0.636), the goodness-of-fit of the 2-parameter Weibull distribution proposed in this thesis to predict Vmax* is R2=0.617. Hence, the ratio between the estimated and measured Vmax* falls within the range 1/2 to 2 (90% error band) when q is predicted using CLASH NN. The new estimators derived in this study provide satisfactory estimations of Vmax* with a method simpler than those found in the literature. Neither the bottom slope nor the depth-induced wave breaking seem to significantly influence the dimensionless Vmax* in this study. OLT and OFV are directly related to the hydraulic stability of the armored crest and the pedestrian safety. Thus, OLT and OFV are required to properly design crest elevation using overtopping criteria. Neural Networks (NNs) are used in this study to develop new explicit unbiased estimators for the OLT and OFV exceeded by 2% of the incoming waves with a high coefficient of determination (0.866≤R2≤0.867). The appropriate number of significant figures of the empirical coefficients of such estimators is selected according to their variability. The optimum point where wave characteristics are determined to predict OLT and OFV was identified at a distance of 3h from the toe of the structure (where h is the water depth at the toe of the structure). The bottom slope does influence both OLT and OFV. The most extreme values of OLT and OFV are described with the 1-parameter Exponential and Rayleigh distribution functions, respectively, with satisfactory results (0.803≤R2≤0.812).
Al Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, por la financiación brindada con el programa de Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU16/05081). Al Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, por la financiación de los proyectos ESBECO (EStabilidad hidráulica del manto, BErmas y COronación de diques en talud con rebase y rotura por fondo, BIA2015-70436-R) y HOLOBREAK (Estabilidad Hidráulica y Transmisión de Diques Rompeolas Homogéneos de Baja Cota Diseñados a Rotura por Fondo, RTI2018-101073-B-I00-AR).
Mares Nasarre, P. (2021). Overtopping flow on mound breakwaters under depth-limited breaking wave conditions [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/163154
TESIS

This paper presents an experimental work on a breaking wave impinging and overtopping a deck structure. Because the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique is known of unsuitable of applying in highly aerated flows such as breaking waves, a technology named Bubble Image Velocimetry (BIV) is adopted to quantify the turbulent velocity characteristics in the bubbly region. A high-speed camera is used to capture images during the wave-structure interaction event in the framework of BIV methodology and the images are subsequently processed using cross-correlation for velocity determination. A wave focusing method is employed to generate plunging breaker in a laboratory-scale wave flume, and the model structure is a horizontal, flat and rigid deck that can be considered as a representative of a coastal bridge or an offshore floating platform. The goal is to gain physical insight from the breaking wave interaction with a simplified structure through measuring the kinematics of the bubbly flow.

Abstract Overtopping bore impact forces on a dike mounted vertical wall were measured in similar large-scale (Froude length scale factor 1-to-4.3) and small-scale (Froude length scale factor 1-to-25) models. The differences due to scale effects were studied, by comparing the up-scaled force measurements from both models in prototype. It was noted that if a minimum layer thickness, velocity of the overtopping flow and water depth at the dike toe were maintained in the small-scale model, the resulting differences in impact force due to scale effects are within the range of differences due to non-repeatability and model effects.

Green water generated by random waves on a fixed, simplified geometry model structure was measured in a large wave basin. The velocity field of the flow that is aerated and highly turbulent was quantified using the bubble image velocimetry (BIV) technique. BIV utilizes shadow textures created by air-water interfaces as tracers in backlit images recorded by a high speed camera. The tracers in consecutive images are then cross-correlated to obtain the corresponding two-dimensional velocities. Random waves were generated by the JONSWAP spectrum with a significant wave height close to the freeboard. An image-based triggering method was employed to detect the green water events and trigger image acquisition. A total of 179 green water events were collected and categorized into three different types, based on the flow behavior. That includes the collapse of overtopping wave, fall of bulk water, and breaking wave crest. Statistical distributions of maximum green water velocities under random waves were developed, while the lognormal distribution was found as the best fit. By modeling the green water as a dam break flow, the Ritter solution was found to be able to capture the horizontal velocity distribution for the random green water events. A prediction equation for the green water velocity distribution under random waves was also obtained.

Lot of plastics enters the ocean every day with negative effects on the environment, economy and health. A large portion of the floating plastics accumulate in so-called gyres, where currents converge. One of the aims of the Ocean Cleanup is to develop technologies to extract plastic pollution from the oceans. The idea is to install a flexible barrier in the ocean that is supposed to concentrate the plastic at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The design of the barrier is still in the conceptual phase and the model tests described in this report are conducted to assist in the development of the barrier. The model tests were carried out in MARIN’s Offshore Basin and served two main goals: 1) provide loads and displacements for numerical model calibrations and 2) examine the 3D fluid-structure interactions and the barrier performance for three different design concepts. A 360m prototype length barrier was considered that consists of a floater with a diameter of 1.5m and a screen with a height of 2m. To model larger lengths of the barrier, various pretensions were applied at the ends of the barrier. For the secondary mooring concept the barrier was moored each 60m via the bottom of the screen to a submerged tension line. For the low mooring and high mooring concepts, the model was only moored at both ends of the bottom of the screen or bottom of the floater. In general mooring loads were found to be the largest for the low mooring configuration. For this same configuration the mooring loads increment with increasing current velocity was the largest. Mooring load fluctuations seemed to be not strongly influenced by the amount of applied pretension. Vertical screen orientations, which are expected to be beneficial for the plastic capturing efficiency, were mostly observed for the secondary mooring and high mooring configurations. For the low mooring concept the offsets along the flow direction were the largest and the screen was more tilted. Additional ballast for the high mooring concept promoted a more vertical orientation of the screen with as downside increasing mooring loads. Overtopping or bridging (air gap exists below the barrier) negatively impact the plastic capturing efficiency and are important to consider. Both events are most likely to happen for shorter wave conditions and higher current velocities. The number of occurrences of overtopping and bridging was the lowest for the secondary mooring and the high mooring setup with a low pretension. For increasing pretension the number of overtopping and bridging events increased.