Breaking wave forces on vertical cylinders.

Abstract

A laboratory study of forces due to breaking waves on a vertical circular cylinder is described. Forces were measured for three values of wave steepness (0.02, 0.03, 0.05) and for three ratios of cylinder diameter to deep water wave height (2.03, 1.35, 1.02), giving a total of nine test conditions. The results show that the maximum force experienced by a cylinder in breaking waves can be as much as 4 to 5 times as large as that in non-breaking waves. Similarly, the maximum moment about the base of a cylinder in breaking waves can be as much as 8 to 10 times as large as that in non-breaking waves. The line of action of the breaking waves force is close to the still water level or above it. The magnitude of the maximum breaking wave force is very sensitive to small changes in the incident wave. (A)