Numerical and physical modelling of wave overtopping on a smooth impermeable dike with promenade under strong incident waves

Abstract

This paper presents a study of run-up/overtopping over a smooth impermeable dike with promenade using 2D and 3D mesh-based and mesh-free numerical models and results from 2D physical modelling for strong energetic incident waves. These waves induce plunging wave breaking and a complex water/air mixture turbulent flow before overtopped the dike, a challenging configuration for numerical models. The analysis is structured in two phases: (i) evaluates the results of 2D numerical and physical models for run-up and overtopping; (ii) compares qualitatively the results of 3D numerical models for overtopping over a dike with promenade between groins located in front of a slope beach. The results indicate that the main differences obtained in run-up and overtopping are due to differences in wave generation and active absorption systems used in physical and numerical models and in turbulent models used by the numerical models. These differences lead to changes on incident wave height and on wave breaking and, consequently, on reflection, run-up and overtopping over the structure. For 3D simulation, even if larger discrepancies were found on overtopping along the dike, mean wave overtopping discharge and water flow height at the crest of the groin head show a similar order of magnitude.