Velocity, Pressure, and Dam-Break Similarity of Green Water Flow on a 3D Structure

Flow dynamics of green water due to plunging breaking waves interacting with a simplified, three-dimensional model structure was investigated in laboratory. Two breaking wave conditions were tested: one with waves impinging and breaking on the vertical wall of the model at the still water level (referred as wall impingement) and the other with waves impinging and breaking on the horizontal deck surface (referred as deck impingement). The bubble image velocimetry (BIV) technique was used to measure the flow velocity. Measurements were taken on a vertical plane located at the center of the deck surface and a horizontal plane located slightly above the deck surface. The applicability of dam-break theory on green water velocity prediction for the three-dimensional model was also investigated. Furthermore, pressure measurements were performed at several locations above the horizontal deck surface for the wall impingement wave condition. Predictions of maximum impact pressure based on the measured pressure and flow velocities were investigated using the impact coefficient approach that links pressure with kinetic energy.