An experimental study of wave forces vertical breakwater

In this study, a series of hydraulic model tests with regular/irregular waves was carried out in a wave flume to investigate the wave forces acting on a composite-type breakwater. Waves in front of the breakwater, wave pressures on the vertical wall and at the bottom of caisson were measured simultaneously. The maximum horizontal force and uplift force were calculated and compared with Goda's wave force theories. The results had shown that Goda's theories offer higher safety factor. However, the measured uplift force was smaller than Goda's and nonzero at the land-side end of the bottom which might be caused by the path of water flow in the porous media beneath the caisson. It also shows that the results from different irregular wave train with the same spectrum are different, and thus the effectiveness of conventional irregular wave tests with several repeats of the same wave train should be reconfirmed.