A series of experiments has been carried out at the Tsunami Wave Basin (TWB) at Oregon State University (OSU) to determine the effect of tsunami bores on coastal and near-shore structures, especially buildings and bridges. The TWB is equipped with a piston-type wavemaker capable of generating clean solitary waves. The facility was used to model tsunami bores breaking over coastal reefs and their impact on structural components, including columns, walls, and horizontal members, such as building floors and bridge decks. Detailed wave height and velocity measurements were recorded as well. This paper focuses on the fluid forces of a bore impacting a wall/floor system. The experimental setup will be described and force results will be presented. The experimental results provide needed data to validate CFD models that can then be used to determine forces for a wider variety of situations.

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