LARGE-SCALE TWO-DIMENSIONAL HYDRAULIC MODELS

Clients: Various Members of the Petroleum Industry

Since 1981, Coastal Frontiers personnel have conducted twelve two-dimensional hydraulic model studies in the large wave flume at Oregon State University to verify and refine the design of coastal protection systems. The tests have encompassed armor types ranging from conventional quarrystone to innovative systems involving linked concrete mats, sand- and gravel-filled geotextile containers, and grout-filled geotextile containers.

Large-scale model test of breakwater

Wave Flume at O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory

  • 360 ft long x 12 ft wide x 15 ft deep

  • Irregular and monochromatic waves with maximum heights in excess of 4 ft

  • Model scale ratios vary as large as 1:3

  • Accurate representations of armor stability, wave runup, and wave overtopping

Parameters Investigated

  • Armor stability

  • Slope deformation

  • Wave run-up elevations

  • Wave overtopping volumes

  • Effects of following wind