Laboratory experiments on wave overtopping at harbour breakwaters

Each year in Italy approximately 2-5 people are killed due to wave action on wave wall and similar constructions. Wave overtopping occcurs because of wave running up the face of a wave wall and is affected by many factors. Small modification of geometry of the structure may drastically change the amount of overtopping. Generally, most of the overtopping waves are fairly small, but a small number can give significantly larger wave-by-wave overtopping volumes. More accurate estimation of overtopping rates should be determined by hydraulic model tests. This thesis is part of the international ERASMUS exchange between University of Ljubljana and University of Florence aimed to study the process of wave overtopping and wave pressure of impact at harbour breakwater models in the wave flume. This research gives an overview of the main topic wave overtopping discharges, for a large number of wave and design conditions. Due to this fact two level analysis was deployed. I. level analysis estimated whether working of measuring instruments was properly and investigated the wave performance, by calculating its characteristic parameters, wave-by-wave overtopping volumes and pressure stresses. Furthermore, II. level analysis made a comparison between mean overtopping discharges and maximum wave-by-wave overtopping volumes and continued by analysing maximum pressures of impact and reflection parameters for each wave attack and design of construction. The analysis and results were obtained by Matlab program. After eight wave types were executed on six different model constructions the most effective harbour breakwater was assessed