Deepwater Breaking Wave Force on Surface Piercing Structures

A preliminary experimental study of deep water breaking wave forces on a flat plate was conducted in a wave channel. Pressures were measured simultaneously at six vertical locations, for different horizontal locations of the plate relative to the break point, and for three inclinations to the vertical. The results show that even under very well controlled conditions the pressure field exhibits considerable variability from run to run; however, the integral of the pressure field (the impulse) is repeatable. The influence of the wave kinematics and dynamics on the pressure field is discussed.