LABORATORY STUDY OF SCALE EFFECTS IN TWO-DIMENSIONAL BEACH PROCESSES

Abstract

In order to disclose the essential relationship between the beach processes and wave characteristics, two dimensional model tests are often performed for beach profile changes due to incident breaking waves normal to the beach. In applying the results of such experiments to the prototype of beaches, the scale effects of waves and sediments on the beach processes with equilibrium beach profiles should necessarily be considered. In this paper, as an approach to solve this problem in two dimensional beach studies, the effects of wave height and sediment size on the shore line movement and equilibrium beach profiles are discussed based on the results of experiments made by the authors and other experiments with smaller and larger scales by some researchers. It has been found that the ratio of wave height to sediment diameter is a very significant factor in this problem. In addition, the changes m a character of breaking waves during the time period of wave action from the beach having an initial constant slope to that with an equilibrium profile are presented.