Analysis of linear and nonlinear features of a flat plate breakwater with the boundary element method

This paper describes some numerical computations performed to investigate the submerged flat plate breakwater effectiveness. From an environmental point of view, one of the most interesting features of this kind of non-conventional breakwater is that it does not induce the undesired stagnation zone along the coast typical of the most common marine structures. The numerical analysis is carried out by means of the potential flow model, implemented in a discrete form by the Boundary Element Method. Numerical results of linear and nonlinear computations are compared to numerical and experimental data available in literature. The influence of the geometric configuration of the plate on the transmission coefficient for waves of varying length is evaluated. The main limitation of this device is found to be the narrow range of wavelengths over which wave attenuation is achieved. As a possible improvement to the plate effectiveness the behaviour of a dual plate array is investigated in different layouts.