Geometrical properties of perfect breaking waves on composite breakwaters

The experimental results have so far shown that when a wave breaks on a vertical wall with an almost vertical front face at the instant of impact that is called perfect breaking or perfect impact, the greatest impact forces are produced on the wall. Therefore, the configuration of breaking waves is important in the design considerations of coastal structures. The present study is concerned with determining the geometrical properties of oscillatory waves that break perfectly on the vertical wall of composite-type breakwaters. The laboratory tests for perfect breaking waves on composite breakwaters are conducted with base slopes of 1/2, 1/4 and 1/6, and with berm widths of 0.00, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30 and 0.40 m. The shape and the dimensions of waves at the instant of perfect breaking on the wall are determined using a video camera. The experimental results for the geometrical properties of the breakers are presented non-dimensionally. Within the range of present experimental conditions, it is found that the dimensionless breaker crest height, hb/dw, and dimensionless breaker height, hb/dw, decrease; and, dimensionless breaker depth, dw/H0, increases with increasing relative berm width, B/D. The breaker height index, Hb/H0, is almost unaffected by B/D. The deep-water wave steepness and the base slope of the breakwater do not seem to influence the geometrical properties of the breakers at wall systematically. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work was supported by Çukurova University Research Fund under the Project no.: FBE.99.D.9 which is gratefully acknowledged