Determination of optimum wave reflection of seawalls via experimental modeling

This paper presents and discusses the results of experimental investigations using both vertical and sloping seawalls configurations to determine the optimal wave reflection characteristics of seawalls for protecting beaches against erosion under a variety of hydrodynamic conditions. The different experiments include both of rectangular or triangular serrated blocks and slotted seawalls with or without triangular serrations as energy dissipaters. The linear wave theory is utilized. Moreover, the Dalrymple method is considered to predict the ordinates of the resultant standing wave due to the partial wave reflection. The study shows that the usage of slotted seawall with triangular serrations is superior compared to the other suggested energy dissipaters in reducing wave reflection whenever the waves become longer. The findings of the present investigation could be applied to optimize the design criteria of shore protection structures.