Author(s): R. E. Musumeci; I. A. Svendsen; J. Veeramony; E. Foti
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Surf zone; Breaking waves; Boussinesq model; Self-adaptive grid
Abstract: The complex hydrodynamics of the surf zone has been modeled here through a fully nonlinear 1D Boussinesq-type model. In particular, in order to investigate the propagation of a breaking wave over a gentle sloping beach, the usual limiting hypothesis of irrotational flow has been removed here. Thus, assuming a rotational motion, new terms were derived directly in the momentum equation which have been modeled as a function of the vorticity distribution inside the flow. The vorticity was introduced in the flow by considering the similarity between an hydraulic jump and a surface roller of a breaking wave, thus allowing to specify the boundary conditions for the roller region. An analytical solution of the vorticity transport equation was carried out and an accurate description of the roller was reached using a new numerical strategy based on the adoption of a self-adaptive-time-varying numerical grid, which allowed for a better resolution of vorticity in the region where it is generated. Results indicate that, using this new numerical technique, an improvement in the modeling of the impulsive discontinuous inclusion of vorticity due to the breaking process is obtained. In order to verify the model performances, comparisons with literature experimental data were performed. On the basis of these comparisons, the model not only seems to predict in a fairly good manner the experimental data, but also in relative terms, behaves better than simpler Boussinesq type of models based on different numerical schemes of integration.
Year: 2003