An Experimental Investigation of Tsunami Bore Impact on Coastal Structures

Abstract

This experimental study focused on the measurement and analysis of the impact force caused by a tsunami bore on a coastal structure. The bore wave was produced by a dam break mechanism. The water depth in the reservoir and the location of the coastal structures were varied to simulate different impact scenarios. The time history of the force resulting from the impact of the bore wave on the coastal structure was measured. The propagation of the bore wave along the flume was recorded and the video recordings were converted into digital data using an image-processing technique in order to determine the flow depth variations with time. The hydrostatic forces and the corresponding depth and time-averaged hydrodynamic forces as well as the maximum hydrodynamic forces were acquired for each scenario. The ratio of hydrodynamic to hydrostatic forces were obtained, and it was observed that the calculated averaged ratio was within the recommended design ratio. The results indicate that an increase in the reservoir level caused an increase in the magnitude and intensity of the impact forces, however, the relationship was non-linear. Moreover, it was found that the location of the structure did not play a significant role on the intensity of the impact forces.

Keywords

• dam break mechanism
• tsunami bore
• load cell
• image processing technique
• hydrodynamic force measurement
• flow depth measurement