scholarly journals FLOATING BREAKWATERS

1968 ◽  
Vol 1 (11) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Brebner ◽  
A.O. Ofuya

The general objective of this investigation is to determine the wave damping characteristics of model floating breakwaters designed to reduce incident wave heights by processes of wave reflection, wave interference, forced instability of incident waves and turbulence action. Of most interest is the attempt to determine the method and the extent to which the requirement of large mass may be usefully replaced by large moment of inertia of mass in the development of floating breakwaters. Experiments are conducted in a two-dimensional wave channel. Reflection coefficients, transmission coefficients, breakwater motions and mooring forces are determined by experiments. It is found that the range of effectiveness in wave attenuation of floating breakwaters depends on several factors including breakwater design, incident wave properties, depth of water and the motion characteristics of the structures, it is remarkable that the 'A' Frame Breakwater exemplifies that the range of effectiveness of a floating breakwater can be increased by a large increase of its radius of gyration involving only a slight increase of its mass. The mooring forces are of reasonable magnitude. Experimental measurements and observations indicate that the 'A' Frame Breakwater is stable throughout the range of model tests.

1988 ◽  
Vol 1 (21) ◽  
pp. 162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Isaacson ◽  
Ronald Byres

The present paper describes a study carried out to investigate floating breakwater behavior in waves. Components of the study include a field survey of floating breakwaters in British Columbia, Canada, the development of a numerical model of breakwater behavior and the experimental testing of a particular breakwater design. The numerical model has been developed to provide breakwater motions, transmission coefficients and mooring forces. The model combines linear diffraction theory for obliquely incident waves, a mooring analysis, the inclusion of viscous damping coefficients obtained from experimental or field data, and the inclusion of drag and wave drift forces for use in the static analysis of the moorings. The experiments were carried out with normally incident regular waves of different heights and periods. Preliminary results indicate that the numerical model should prove to be a useful tool in floating breakwater design.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien Ming Wang ◽  
Huu Phu Nguyen ◽  
Jeong Cheol Park ◽  
Mengmeng Han ◽  
Nagi abdussamie ◽  
...  

<p>Floating breakwaters have been used to protect shorelines, marinas, very large floating structures, dockyards, fish farms, harbours and ports from harsh wave environments. A floating breakwater outperforms its bottom-founded counterpart with respect to its environmental friendliness, cost-effectiveness in relatively deep waters or soft seabed conditions, flexibility for expansion and downsizing and its mobility to be towed away. The effectiveness of a floating breakwater design is assessed by its wave attenuation performance that is measured by the wave transmission coefficient (i.e., the ratio of the transmitted wave height to the incident wave height or the ratio of the transmitted wave energy to the incident wave energy). In some current design guidelines for floating breakwaters, the transmission coefficient is estimated based on the assumption that the realistic ocean waves may be represented by regular waves that are characterized by the significant wave period and wave height of the wave spectrum. There is no doubt that the use of regular waves is simple for practicing engineers designing floating breakwaters. However, the validity and accuracy of using regular waves in the evaluation of wave attenuation performance of floating breakwaters have not been thoroughly discussed in the open literature. This study examines the wave transmission coefficients of floating breakwaters by performing hydrodynamic analysis of some large floating breakwaters in ocean waves modelled as regular waves as well as irregular waves described by a wave spectrum such as the Bretschneider spectrum. The formulation of the governing fluid motion and boundary conditions are based on classical linear hydrodynamic theory. The floating breakwater is assumed to take the shape of a long rectangular box modelled by the Mindlin thick plate theory. The finite element – boundary element method was employed to solve the fluid-structure interaction problem. By considering heave-only floating box-type breakwaters of 200m and 500m in length, it is found that the transmission coefficients obtained by using the regular wave model may be smaller (or larger) than that obtained by using the irregular wave model by up to 55% (or 40%). These significant differences in the transmission coefficient estimated by using regular and irregular waves indicate that simplifying assumption of realistic ocean waves as regular waves leads to significant over/underprediction of wave attenuation performance of floating breakwaters. Thus, when designing floating breakwaters, the ocean waves have to be treated as irregular waves modelled by a wave spectrum that best describes the wave condition at the site. This conclusion is expected to motivate a revision of design guidelines for floating breakwaters for better prediction of wave attenuation performance. Also, it is expected to affect how one carries out experiments on floating breakwaters in a wave basin to measure the wave transmission coefficients.</p>


1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. V. Evans ◽  
C. M. Linton

In this paper we show how a submerged body can, if properly tuned to the incoming waves, reflect an appreciable amount of the incident wave energy by creating waves through its own motion which effectively cancel the incident waves passing over it. A general theory for this phenomenon is described which is applied to the cases of a hinged vertical plate and a submerged tethered horizontal circular cylinder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1364
Author(s):  
Jianting Guo ◽  
Yongbin Zhang ◽  
Chunyan Ji ◽  
Xiangqian Bian ◽  
Sheng Xu

As the technical and theoretical research of floating breakwaters is becoming increasingly mature, the floating breakwaters are now being utilized, especially in offshore reefs. Therefore, it is of practical significance to study the hydrodynamic performance of a multi-module floating breakwater system under the influence of reefs. In this study, a 3D model experiment was carried out on a system consisting of eight three-cylinder floating breakwater modules under the influence of reefs. A wave attenuation mesh cage was incorporated at the bottom of the model. The floating breakwater system was slack-moored in its equilibrium position, and each module was connected by elastic connectors. The reefs were modeled on a bathymetric map of existing reefs in the East China Sea. In this experiment, the wave transmission coefficients, motion responses, and mooring forces of the floating breakwater system were measured. The results showed that the three-cylinder floating breakwater in the beam waves (β = 90°) has excellent wave attenuating performance under the influence of reefs, especially for short-period waves. However, under the influence of the reef reflection wave and the shallow water effect, the motion responses in the three main stress directions of the floating breakwater were large, and there was some surge and pitch motion. Under the influence of the aggregation and superposition of reflected waves on both sides of the reefs, the peak mooring forces in the middle position of the floating breakwater system were the largest at large wave height. The three-cylinder floating breakwater exhibited satisfactory hydrodynamic performance under the influence of reefs. It has broad application prospects in offshore reefs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 226-228 ◽  
pp. 553-559
Author(s):  
Bo Xue Song ◽  
Jin Yu ◽  
Yan Yan Cai ◽  
Xu Chen

The study on nonlinear displacement discontinuity model has been investigated in the researches of normal incident wave attenuation across rock joints. But the studies were limited only on the effects of joint with single type deformation behavior, without considering the influence of different extent in model nonlinearity. The improved elastic nonlinear normal deformational model can descript the extent of nonlinearity quantitatively. Based on this model, a displacement discontinuity model for normally incident wave propagation across multiple parallel joints was established in an elastic half-space. Using one-dimensional wave equation characteristics method, the time-domain numerical difference scheme of transmitted particle velocity was proposed, making computational programs to obtain semi-numerical solutions, and transmission coefficients. Parameter studies were conducted to get an insight into the effects of number of joints and the extent of nonlinearity, the incident wave maximum amplitude on transmission coefficients and transmission energy rate, waveform distortion and delay time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Huu Phu Nguyen ◽  
Jeong Cheol Park ◽  
Mengmeng Han ◽  
Chien Ming Wang ◽  
Nagi Abdussamie ◽  
...  

Wave attenuation performance is the prime consideration when designing any floating breakwater. For a 2D hydrodynamic analysis of a floating breakwater, the wave attenuation performance is evaluated by the transmission coefficient, which is defined as the ratio between the transmitted wave height and the incident wave height. For a 3D breakwater, some researchers still adopted this evaluation approach with the transmitted wave height taken at a surface point, while others used the mean transmission coefficient within a surface area. This paper aims to first examine the rationality of these two evaluation approaches via verified numerical simulations of 3D heave-only floating breakwaters in regular and irregular waves. A new index—a representative transmission coefficient—is then presented for one to easily compare the wave attenuation performances of different 3D floating breakwater designs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julián David Peláez ◽  
Luis Alfredo Montes

ABSTRACT. Seismic wave attenuation (Q−1) values indicate relevant media properties, such as fluid content and porosity. Q−1 estimates, obtained using both VSP and conventional well log data, did not exhibit comparable trends, nor values. Whereas VSP results represent total attenuation, well log Q−1, which, theoretically, should represent scattering losses, displayed a low percentage correlation with transmission coefficients and other well logs. The influence of processing routines, chosen methodology and input parameters on Q−1-values suggests that ASR (Amplitude Spectral Ratio) and CFS (Centroid Frequency Shift) attenuation estimates should be regarded, in practical terms, as relative quantities instead of absolute ones. Seemingly incoherent negative values are frequent, nonetheless these could hold a physical meaning related to elastic amplification at interfaces. Considering that quality factor (Q) values obtained were more unstable than Q−1-values, it is advisable to report the latter. Keywords: Vertical Seismic Profiles, well logs, transmission coefficients, scattering, amplification.RESUMO. Os valores de atenuação da onda sísmica (Q−1) indicam propriedades relavantes dos meios, tais como conteúdo de fluido e porosidade. As estimativas do Q−1, obtidas usando dados de VSP e dados de poços convencionais, não apresentaram tendências nem valores comparáveis. Enquanto os resultados de VSP representamatenuação total, os resultados dos dados de poços, que teoricamente deveriam representar perdas de dispersão, apresentaramuma baixa correlação percentual com os coeficientes de transmissão e outros dados de poços. A influência das rotinas de processamento, da metodologia escolhida e dos parâmetros de entrada nos valores Q−1 sugere que as estimativas de atenuação ASR (Amplitude Spectral Ratio) e CFS (Centroid Frequency Shift) devem ser, em termos práticos, consideradas como quantidades relativas em vez de absolutas. Valores negativos aparentemente incoerentes são frequentes, no entanto estes poderiam conter um significado físico relacionado `a amplificação elástica nas interfaces. Considerando que os valores do fator de qualidade (Q) obtidos foram mais instáveis do que os valores de Q−1, é aconselhável documentar o último. Palavras-chave: Perfis Sísmicos Verticais, registros de poços, coeficientes de transmissão, dispersão, amplificação.


1976 ◽  
Vol 1 (15) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K. Gaughan ◽  
Paul D. Komar

A series of wave basin experiments were undertaken to better understand the selection of groin spacings and lengths. Rather than obtaining edge waves with the same period as the normal incident waves, subharmonic edge waves were produced with a period twice that of the incoming waves and a wave length equal to the groin spacing. Rip currents were therefore not formed by the interactions of the synchronous edge waves and normal waves as proposed by Bowen and Inman (1969). Rips were present in the wave basin but their origin is uncertain and they were never strong enough to cause beach erosion. The generation of strong subharmonic edge waves conforms with the work of Guza and Davis (1974) and Guza and Inman (1975). The subharmonic edge waves interacted with the incoming waves to give an alternating sequence of surging and collapsing breakers along the beach. Their effects on the swash were sufficient to erode the beach in some places and cause deposition in other places. Thus major rearrangements of the sand were produced between the groins, but significant erosion did not occur as had been anticipated when the study began. By progressively decreasing the length of the submerged portions of the groins, it was found that the strength (amplitude) of the edge waves decreases. A critical submerged groin length was determined whereby the normally incident wave field could not generate resonant subharmonic edge waves of mode zero with a wavelength equal to the groin spacing. The ratio of this critical length to the spacing of the groins was found in the experiments to be approximately 0.15 to 0.20, and did not vary with the steepness of the normal incident waves.


Author(s):  
Bongsu Kang ◽  
Chin An Tan

Abstract In this paper, the wave reflection and transmission characteristics of an axially strained, rotating Timoshenko shaft under general support and boundary conditions, and with geometric discontinuities are examined. As a continuation to Part I of this paper (Kang and Tan, 1997), the wave reflection and transmission at point supports with finite translational and rotational constraints are further discussed. The reflection and transmission matrices for incident waves upon general supports and geometric discontinuities are derived. These matrices are combined, with the aid of the transfer matrix method, to provide a concise and systematic approach for the free vibration analysis of multi-span rotating shafts with general boundary conditions. Results on the wave reflection and transmission coefficients are presented for both the Timoshenko and the Euler-Bernoulli models to investigate the effects of the axial strain, shaft rotation speed, shear and rotary inertia.


1986 ◽  
Vol 1 (20) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford L. Truitt ◽  
John B. Herbich

Several previous investigators have conducted experiments leading to expressions for predicting the transformation of waves passing through closely-spaced pile breakwaters. The present study extends those earlier experiments using monochromatic waves to the case of a spectrum of random waves. Records of incident waves and of waves after transmission through a model pile breakwater were compared to determine a coefficient of transmission. Results are presented for several cases of pile spacing and pile diameter. Good agreement is found between observed transmission coefficients and those predicted using the expression proposed by Hayashi et al. (1966).


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