Numerical Study of Wave Interactions with a New Pile-Supported Curtain Wall Breakwater

This study presents a three-dimensional (3D) numerical model for simulating waves acting on a pile-supported curtain wall breakwater to provide valuable insight into structural design. A modified k-omega turbulence model is adopted to solve the overestimation of turbulence kinetic energy and eddy viscosity in long-term simulations. An interface geometry reconstruction method, IsoAdvector, is introduced in a new solver, porousWaveIsoFoam, to keep the tracked interface sharp and smooth. The numerical model is validated by a physical model test. Case studies suggest that longer waves show stronger nonlinearity with more wave energy transferring to the higher frequency component. The wave energy in front of the structure is approximately four times as large as the incident wave for shorter period waves. The effect of the ratio of curtain wall draft to porous medium height ds/ dh on wave transmission is estimated. The results show that the breakwater provides a better sheltering effect when 4.5 < ds/dh < 5. Finally, an improvement in the hydrodynamic characteristics of the breakwater by adding a horizontal plate behind the curtain wall is proposed to further reduce wave transmission, and the wave transmission decreases 50% when the relative width of the horizontal plate Lh/Lb = 0.67.