Effect of mimic vegetation with different stiffness on regular wave propagation and turbulence

Abstract

Flume experiments were performed to test four plant mimics with different stiffness to reveal the effect of plant stiffness on the wave dissipation and turbulence process. The mimics were built of silica gel rod groups, and their bending elastic modulus was measured as a proxy for stiffness. The regular wave velocity distribution, turbulence characteristics, and wave dissipation effect of different groups were studied in a flume experiment. Results show that, when a wave ran through the flexible rod groups, the velocity period changed gradually from unimodal to bimodal, and the secondary wave peak was more apparent in the more flexible mimics. The change in the turbulence intensity in the different rod groups showed that the higher the rod stiffness, the greater the turbulence intensity. With an increase in the bending elastic modulus of a rod group, the wave dissipation coefficient increased. The increase in the wave dissipation coefficient was not linearly correlated with the bending elastic modulus, but it was sensitive within a certain range of the elastic modulus.