Three-Dimensional Simulations of Subaerial Landslide-Generated Waves: Comparing OpenFOAM and FLOW-3D HYDRO Models

Abstract

The recent destructive landslide tsunamis, such as the 2018 Anak Krakatau event, were fresh reminders for developing validated three-dimensional numerical tools to accurately model landslide tsunamis and to predict their hazards. In this study, we perform Three-dimensional physical modelling of waves generated by subaerial solid-block landslides, and use the data to validate two numerical models: the commercial software FLOW-3D HYDRO and the open-source OpenFOAM package. These models are key representatives of the primary types of modelling tools—commercial and open-source—utilized by scientists and engineers in the field. This research is among a few studies on 3D physical and numerical models for landslide-generated waves, and it is the first time that the aforementioned two models are systematically compared. We show that the two models accurately reproduce the physical experiments and give similar performances in modelling landslide-generated waves. However, they apply different approaches, mechanisms and calibrations to deliver the tasks. It is found that the results of the two models are deviated by approximately 10% from one another. This guide helps engineers and scientists implement, calibrate, and validate these models for landslide-generated waves. The validity of this research is confined to solid-block subaerial landslides and their impact in the near-field zone.