Modeling of the Changes in Flow Velocity on Seawalls under Different Conditions Using FLOW-3D Software

Seawalls are among protective structures that are constructed for decreasing the level of wave force and/or protecting from other structures. In this regard, more accurate investigation of these structures takes great importance from different perspectives. This research investigates the change of the velocity on seawall crown by considering the obstacles in different layouts and slopes. FLOW-3D has been used in this research for modeling. The results of the modeling show that the existence of obstacles has a determinative role in decreasing flow rate in the crown of seawalls. Also, as it was expected, the slope factor on upstream seawalls is very determinative in decreasing this rate such that the lowest velocity on the wall occurs in D-state layout and the slope of 45°.

Experimental investigating on the reflected waves from the caisson-type vertical porous seawalls

The hydrodynamic efficiencies of caisson-type vertical porous seawalls used for protecting coastal areas were calculated in this study. Physical models were developed to compare the wave reflection from vertical plane, semi-porous, and porous seawalls caused by both regular and random waves. Tests were carried out for a wide range of wave heights, wave periods, and different water depths (d=0.165, 0.270 and 0.375 m). The performance regarding the reflected waves from porous and semi-porous seawalls showed improvement when compared with those from the plane seawall. The reflection coefficients of the porous and semi-porous seawalls were calculated as 0.6 and 0.75, respectively, while the coefficient for the fully reflecting plane vertical wall was significantly higher (0.9). It was also observed that the reflection coefficient decreases with increase in wave steepness and relative water depth. In addition, the reduction in the reflection coefficient of porous and semi-porous seawalls, as compared to that of a plane seawall, was observed for both regular and random waves. New equations were also proposed to calculate the reflection coefficient of different types of seawalls with the aid of laboratory experiments. By verifying the developed equations using some other experimental data, it was validated that the equations could be used for practical situations. The results of the present study can be applied to optimize the design of vertical seawalls and for coastal protecting schemes.

Wave Height Transformation and Set-up Between A Submerged Permeable Breakwater and A Seawall

In this study, we investigated wave transformation and wave set-up between a submerged permeable breakwater and a seawall. Modified time-dependent mild-slope equations, which involve parameters of the porous medium, were used to calculate the wave height transformation and the mean water level change around a submerged breakwater. The numerical solution is verified with experimental data. The simulated results show that modulations of the wave profile and wave set-up are clearly observed between the submerged breakwater and the seawall. In contrast to cases without a seawall, the node or pseudo-node of wave height evolution can be found between the submerged breakwater and the seawall. Higher wave set-up occurs if the nodal or pseudo-nodal point appears near the submerged breakwater. We also examined the influence of the porosity and friction factor of the submerged permeable breakwater on wave transformation and set-up.

A Calculation Method for Incidence and Reflection of Irregular Waves Along Seawalls

Some researches have been made in this aspect. In the method by Walton Jr.(1992), incident waves are supposed to be the overlapping result of M component waves with different frequencies which may take different directions, the direction of incident waves should be available in advance, but in fact the direction of incident waves is not available. In our study, incident waves are supposed to be composed of M overlapping component waves with different frequencies, and different frequencies have different directions. Based on the irregular wave reflection theory, the calculation formulas of wave direction, complex amplitude of incident waves, and complex amplitude of reflected waves in surface which are composed of component waves are derived by means of discrete Fourier transform. Then, the frequency spectra of incident waves and reflected waves and the reflection coefficient of waves with corresponding frequencies are obtained. Verification of the method and the calculation results from in-situ measured data indicate that the method is reliable and highly accurate.

Enlightenment and Reflection on the Leap of "Butterfly Change" in Cultural Features of the Ancient Seawall in the New Era

At first, the overview and value of cultural relics of Xiaoshao Seawall were introduced, and then the confusion of daily management and comprehensive improvement were analyzed. Finally, the enlightenment and reflection on the "butterfly change" of the seawall were discussed.

Deformation and stability of the seawall,considering the strength uncertainty of cement mixing piles

The cement mixing (CM) pile is a common method of improving soft offshore ground. The strength growth of CM piles under complex conditions is affected by many factors, especially the cement and moisture contents, and shows significant uncertainty. To investigate the stochasticity of the early strength of CM piles and its impact on the displacement and stability of a seawall, a series of laboratory tests and numerical analyses were carried out in this study. Vane shear tests were conducted on the cement-solidified soil to determine the relationships between the undrained shear strength s_(u) of the cement soil curing in the seawater and the cement content a_(c), as well as the in situ soil moisture content w. It can be inferred that the 24 h undrained shear strength follows a normal distribution. A numerical model considering the random CM pile strength was established to investigate the deformation of the seawall. Due to the uncertainty of CM pile strength, the displacement of the seawall demonstrates a certain discreteness. The decrease of the mean undrained shear strength of CM piles causes a corresponding increase in the average displacement of the seawall. When the mean strength of CM piles is lower than a certain threshold, there is a risk of instability. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of the strength within an individual CM pile also has an impact on seawall displacement. Attention should be paid to the uncertainty of CM pile strength to control displacement and stability.

Different responses of two adjacent artificial beaches to Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai,China

Major differences in beach erosion between two neighboring artificial beaches Xiangluwan Beach(XL beach)and Meiliwan Beach(ML beach)in Zhuhai,China,were studied after Super Typhoon Hato.In this study,a fully nonlinear Boussinesq wave model(FUNWAVE)-Total Variation Diminishing(TVD)was used to distinguish the main impact factors,their relative contributions,and the hydrodynamic mechanisms underlying the different beach responses.Results show that compared to the ML beach,the main reason for the relatively weak erosion on Xiangluwan(XL)beach was the smaller beach berm height(accounting for approximately 75.9%of the erosion response).Regarding the beach with a higher berm,the stronger wave-induced undertow flow,along with the higher sediment concentration,led to a higher offshore sediment transport flux,resulting in more severe erosion relative to the beach with a smaller berm height.The second most important reason explaining the weak erosion on XL beach was the absence of seawalls(accounting for approximately 17.9%of the erosion response).Wave reflection induced by the seawall could cause higher suspended sediment concentration,resulting in a toe scouring near the seawall.The offshore submerged breakwater protected XL beach slightly(accounting for approximately 6.1%of the erosion response).Due to the higher water level induced by storm surge,most of the wave energy could penetrate through the submerged breakwater.The effect of the larger berm width of XL beach was negligible.Compared to the beach with a larger berm width,the erosion/deposition regions in the beach with a narrower berm width showed shoreward migration,without significant changes in the erosion/deposition extent.Despite of this,the larger berm width could reduce the wave energy reaching the shoreline.This study of the storm stability of artificial beaches may be applied to beach restoration design.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL OVERTOPPING AGAINST SEAWALLS ARMORED WITH ARTIFICIAL UNITS IN REGULAR WAVES

A new mathematical model for the overtopping against seawalls armored with artificial units in regular waves was established. The 2-D numerical wave flume, based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes （RANS） equations and the standard κ-ε turbulence model, was developed to simulate the turbulent flows with the free surface, in which the Volume Of Fluid （VOF） method was used to handle the large deformation of the free surface and the relaxation approach of combined wave generation and absorbing was implemented. In order to consider the effects of energy dissipation due to the armors on a slope seawall, a porous media model was proposed and implemented in the numerical wave flume. A series of physical model experiments were carried out in the same condition of the numerical simulation to determine the drag coefficient in the porous media model in terms of the overtopping discharge. Compared the computational value of overtopping over the seawall with the experimental data, the values of the effective drag coefficient was calibrated for the layers of blocks at different locations along the seawalls.

The impact of sea-level rise on the coast of Tianjin-Hebei,China

Bulletins of China's National Sea Level show that the average rising rate of sea-levels in China is 3.3 mm/a over the past 40 years, with an obviously accelerated rising trend in the last decade. The rate of relative sea-level rise of the Yangtze River Delta reached >10 mm/a after considering the land subsidence, and Bohai Bay is even greater than 25 mm/a. The impact of the sea level rise to the coastal area will be greater in the coming years, so carrying out an assessment of this rising trend is urgent. This paper, taking the coastal area of Tianjin and Hebei as examples, comprehensively evaluates the impact of sea-level rise through multitemporal remote sensing shoreline interpretation, ground survey verification, elevation measurements for both seawall and coastal lowlands. The results show that the average elevation of the measured coastal areas of Tianjin and Hebei is about +4 m, and the total area of >100 km^2 is already below the present mean sea level. More than 270 km, ca. 31% of the total length of the seawall, cannot withstand a 1-in-100-year storm surge. Numerical simulations of the storm flooding on the west coast of Bohai Bay, for 1-in-50-years, 1-in-100-years, 1-in-200-years and 1-in-500-years, show that if there were no coastal dykes, the maximum flooding area would exceed 3000 km^2, 4000 km^2, 5300 km^2 and 7200 km^2, respectively. The rising sea has a direct and potential impact on the coastal lowlands of Tianjin and Hebei. Based on the latest development in international sea-level rise prediction research, this paper proposes 0.5 m, 1.0 m and 1.5 m as low, middle and high sea level rise scenarios by 2100 for the study area, and combines the land subsidence and other factors to the elevation of the existing seawall. Comprehensive evaluation results indicate that even in the case of a low scenario, the existing seawall will not be able to withstand a 1-in-100-years storm surge in 2030, and the potential flooding areas predicted by the model will become a reality in the near future. Therefore, the seawall design in the coastal areas of Tianjin and Hebei must consider the combined effects of land subsidence, sea level rise and the extreme storm surges caused by it.

Evolution history and trend of the modern Huanghe River Delta

The evolvement history of modern Huanghe River Delta tidal flat, coastline and underwater terrain were studied based on the analysis of remote sensing images and water depth data. Based on the analysis of seafloor terrain evolution on different historical stages, a formula simulating the erosion and deposition evolvement model of subaqueous Huanghe River Delta slope was proposed, and the evolvement trend of the subaqueous delta terrain was predicted. The result shows that the equilibrium transition zone is near the water depth of 12 m with seabed erosion in shallower water and accumulation in deeper water during the first 150 a after the river channel was deserted. In the meantime, the underwater slope became gentler and the coastal erosion rate became slow gradually. Then, the subaqueous delta slope changed to up concave from upper convex, and the shape of subaqueous delta disappeared. The coast type changed to silt-mud coast about 100-150 a after the river course was deserted. The erosion depth in the foot of the seawall is calculated based on the formula.

Tsunami Force Reduction due to Obstacle in Front of Coastal Dike and Evaluation of Collision Force by Driftage

Tsunami caused by the Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011 washed away a lot of buildings and deprived many lives on unexpected scale. Seawall is one of the measures to reduce tsunami damage, but itself is also given great damages by tsunami. Study on mechanism of tsunami force acting on seawalls is also quite important and improvement of countermeasures is very important. Hydraulic experiments were conducted to estimate wave force and collision force by driftage due to tsunami on various conditions. The tsunami force reduction due to obstacles installed shoreline is examined and assessed by previous formula. Collision force by driftage due to tsunami is also investigated and assessed by previous formula.

Self-centring segmental retaining walls—A new construction system for retaining walls

This paper reports on an experimental study on a new self-centring retaining wall system.Four post-tensioned segmental retaining walls(PSRWs)were experimentally tested.Each of the walls was constructed using seven T-shaped concrete segments with a dry stack.The walls were tested under incrementally increasing cyclic lateral load.The effect of the wall height,levels of post-tensioning(PT)force,and bonded versus unbonded condition of PT reinforcement on the structural behavior of the PSRWs was investigated.The results showed that such PSRWs are structurally adequate for water retaining structures.According to the results,increasing the wall height decreases initial strength but increases the deformation capacity of the wall.The larger deformation capacity and ductility of PSRW make it a suitable structural system for fluctuating loads or deformation,e.g.,seawall.It was also found that increasing the PT force increases the wall’s stiffness;however,reduces its ductility.The residual drift and the extent of damage of the unbonded PSRWs were significantly smaller than those of the bonded ones.Results suggest that this newly developed self-centring retaining wall can be a suitable structural system to retain lateral loads.Due to its unique deformation capacity and self-centring behavior,it can potentially be used for seawall application.