Interaction of Solitary Waves with a Submerged Impermeable Breakwater

Abstract

A combined analytical and experimental investigation of solitary waves interacting with a submerged impermeable breakwater is presented in this study. To the leading order of approximation, the integral forms of the analytical solutions of reflected and transmitted velocity potentials and wave elevations are derived according to the Fourier integral approach. The unknown coefficients are determined from the mixed-breakwater boundary conditions using the method of least squares. Experimental data in terms of wave elevations in the reflected and transmitted regions under various wave and breakwater conditions were recorded in a wave tank for validating the analytical solutions. Generally, the analytically predicted incident and transmitted wave profiles are found to agree reasonably well with the experimental measurements, although the analytical model in the cases with greater breakwater height overestimates the peak of the reflected waves. The variations of wave transmission–related and wave reflection–related solution coefficients versus the breakwater height are analyzed. The effect of breakwater height on the peak of reflected and transmitted waves is also examined. It is found that with an increase in the breakwater height the transmission coefficient decreases. Also, more wave energy is transmitted through the breakwater than that contributed to the reflected waves, even in the cases with high ratio of breakwater height to water depth.