Wave generation and analysis

It is common practice to relate the response of a structure to the incident wave parameters at the toe. Estimation of the incident wave parameters at the toe is thus an essential part of the analysis of experimental data. In many cases, the design conditions at the toe are given by waves that are depth-limited or at least close to that limit. In such situations where waves are breaking and nonlinear, it is known to be very difficult to estimate the incident wave parameters accurately. The aim of the paper is to provide guidelines on the accuracy of reflection separation algorithms when applied to nonlinear waves over sloping foreshores. The guidelines will present examples of the error of the estimated incident wave parameters depending on the wave nonlinearity and the foreshore slope. Moreover, a first methodology for reflection separation of nonlinear waves on steep sloping foreshores will be provided.

When investigating the transformation of waves and hydraulic responses within physical and numerical models, it is crucial to replicate the natural conditions as accurately as possible. This often involves replicating extremely nonlinear irregular waves in areas with intermediate or shallow water depths. In doing so, special attention must be paid to the design of the model layout, which forms the central focus of the present work.
In short flumes, it is common to incorporate a steep transition slope before the actual bathymetry. Investigations are performed on how this transition slope influences wave parameters, and recommendations are provided for its appropriate use. In situations where it is not suitable, combining a numerical model with a physical wave flume is suggested. This study seeks to offer guidance for generating highly nonlinear waves in intermediate and shallow waters within a relatively short wave flume.

This paper presents a thorough experimental study on the performance assessment of two different active wave absorption control systems (MTS and Awasys) as a means to establish the quality of the experiment in terms of the uniformity (space) and stability (time) of generated wave parameters (descriptors) in the laboratory.