Composite Modelling II

Some coastal infrastructures (i.e. intakes, outfalls, gates) incorporate singular elements (meshes, nets or grids) which, through their interaction with the water flow, can produce large changes in the water level (upstream and downstream) and forces on them. In order to characterize both the head losses and the drag coefficient in local elements of hydraulic/coastal infrastructures, a composite methodology - based on physical and numerical modeling at 1:1 scale (prototype) - has been developed.
The developed methodology includes the use of IHCantabria wave-current flume to calibrate the numerical model, and the OpenFOAM numerical model to extend the range of hydraulic conditions and geometric configurations. Finally, the drag coefficients and the local head losses were obtained. The successful application of this methodology has been verified in several projects and by using different facilities at IHCantabria; based on the obtained results, optimizations in final designs were proposed.

The deep-water commercial port to be built, object of this paper, is an island port which will be served by a sea access bridge supported by piles. In order to determine the hydrodynamic forces on the various piles of this bridge a three-stages methodology was set up. An analysis of the loads was first carried out theoretically, the second stage consisted in carrying out physical model tests for a selected pile and in a third stage a numerical model was used. The paper will discuss the means and programme of the tests, and in particular the selection of characteristic waves and the results obtained.

In the present study, a three-dimensional coupled numerical model is developed to investigate the excess pore pressure development around a monopile foundation and the accompanying changes in the effective stress of the seabed soil. In addition to the coupled hydrodynamic-geotechnical analyses, physical model tests have been performed at the Coastal & Ocean Basin (COB) in Ostend (BE), to better characterise the seabed response around on a monopile foundation based on pore pressure measurements. The experimental setup and the first results will be presented at the conference.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the interaction between waves and vegetation at the blade scale. The primary objectives are two: first, to introduce a direct numerical technique that involves a two-way coupling between a fluid solver and a structural solver, and second, to present novel experimental data for a single flexible cylinder serving as validation for the present (and future) numerical model(s).



Graphical abstract: A composite graphic displaying a side-view snapshot from the laboratory alongside a digital replica (numerical flume) generated using the coupled SPH-FEA model. The horizontal water velocity is plotted using a jet color gradient, while the flexible cylinder is represented in grey color.