Experimental Study of Dynamic Pressure and Wave Load on Variform Vertical Cylinders under Extreme Waves

Extreme waves pose a significant threat to the proliferating marine structures, however, the impact on the vertical cylinder with different cross-sectional shapes remains inadequately evaluated. Herein, we carried out a physical experiment, comprising 45 scenarios generated by three water depths, three wave paddle velocities, and five vertical cylinder models, to measure the extreme wave-induced pressure and load on this type of structure. The wave load and dynamic pressure distribution in time and spatial domains under the influence of cross-sectional shapes and wave conditions have been fully discussed. The experimental results indicate that: 1) As the position turns from front to back side, the circumferential pressure of five models initially decreases and then increases. 2) The maximum differential pressure between the front and back side decreases with increased water depth and decreased velocity, and occurs earlier than the peak pressure on the front side. 3) The chamfered cross-section (round and right triangle) can significantly reduce the wave load compared to the rectangular section, and the circular section suffers the lowest force logically. The dynamic pressure and wave load in this experiment can serve to establish a more sophisticated load model and provide valuable insights for marine structural design and disaster prevention.