The use of a pressuremapping system formeasuring wave impact induced pressures is evaluated in this paper. A set-up and a calibrationmethodology are suggested and employed for thiswork. The system is validated against pressure transducer and load cell measurements and for a range of waves breaking on a vertical seawall. For a large number (120 measurements for each case considered) of breaking and broken waves interacting with the wall, the peak pressure (Ppeak) profiles and the pressure distribution maps reported by the system agree wellwith results acquired using pressure transducers. Although the pressuremapping system tends to underestimate Ppeak, differences on themean of the 3, 5 and 10 highest Ppeak rangewithin±10%, while for themajority of the measurements the error on the integral of the acting pressures (the acting force compared with the force measured by the load cell) ranges within ±20%. It is concluded, that through careful calibration and set-up the pressure mapping system has the capacity to provide pressure distribution maps with a good accuracy. It is not, however, considered to constitute the absolute alternative to pressure transducers and thus a combined use is suggested for applications where a very high level of accuracy is required.Postprint (author's final draft
The measurement of wave-induced impacts on structures involves significant scientific and engineering challenges. Regular nearly breaking pgbgand broken waves generated following cnoidal and first-order Stokes wavemaker theory have been considered to study the variability of wave impacts on vertical breakwaters. Four small-scale hydraulic experiments were carried out and repeated 120 times using high-speed pressure and force measurement equipment. High variability in the measured pressure field and total force were observed, reflecting the random nature of the studied phenomena. The force variability was similar for the nearly breaking and broken waves. The maximum measured force was between 166 and 177% of the minimum measured force. In relation to the force distribution and maximum pressure points, the observed variability is higher for broken waves. To deal with such variability in the observations, suitable probability distributions for forces (GEV) and pressures (Gamma) are proposed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.