Forces on vertical breakwaters - Effects of oblique or short-crested waves

Allsop, W. and Calabrese, M. (1999) Forces on vertical breakwaters - Effects of oblique or short-crested waves. Technical Report. HR Wallingford.

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Abstract

Wave forces on vertical breakwaters, seawalls and related structures may be very severe, particularly where waves break against the wall causing impact loads. Studies at Wallingford presented by Allsop et al (1996) in report SR 443 demonstrated that wave impact loads under normal wave attack are under-estimated by most design methods. The results of that reseach did however show how conditions that cause wave impacts, and the wave impact forces, can be predicted for long-crested normal wave attack. This report gives the results of research studies conducted in the UK national Coastal Research Facility at Wallingford by researchers from Universities of Naples and Sheffield and HR Wallingford, measuring wave pressures/forces on simple and composite vertical walls under oblique or short crested wave attack. The results of these experiments have been used to compare with existing prediction methods; to identify the ranges of geometric and wave conditions which lead to wave impacts; and to develop new prediction methods for wave pressures/forces under wave impacts. These results are intended to be used by engineers analysing the stability of vertical or composite walls in deep water, near the coast or along the shoreline. The prediction methods derived here, and/or the test results themselves, may be used to estimate wave loadings on a wide variety of structures, existing or in design.

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