WAVE DEFORMATION IN FRONT OF VERTICAL WALL DUE TO WAVE OVERTOPPING

This is the second paper on the physics of wave motion in front of coastal structures under wave overtopping. In the previous paper, to calculate the total volume of overtopped water on a vertical wall, the surface displacement of standing waves in finite depth was formulated on the basis of the finite amplitude approximation. In the present study, the nonlinear equation is used to predict the temporal variation of water surface in the waveward side of the vertical wall when incident waves attack it and flow over the crest. The surface displacement is calculated and compared with one measured in a wave channel. The experimental data were taken from five wave gauges in the vicinity of a vertical plate located near one end of the wave channel. The predicted variation of water surface due to wave overtopping is shown to be in good qualitative agreement with one obtained from the physical-model measurements for various crest heights of the vertical plate.