EXPERIMENTAL MODELING OF WAVE FORCES AND HYDRODYNAMICS ON ELEVATED COASTAL STRUCTURES SUBJECT TO WAVES, SURGE OR TSUNAMIS: THE EFFECT OF BREAKING, SHIELDING AND DEBRIS

Coastal communities provide important economic, transport, and recreational services to large numbers of people worldwide. However, these coastal communities are vulnerable to damage by extreme events such as tropical cyclones or tsunamis. Waves and surge, as well as tsunami-wave events, may cause extensive damage to elevated structures through a combination of horizontal and vertical wave and surge-induced forces. Structural elevation has been shown to be a critical variable affecting damage and loss. Recent efforts have been made to retrofit structures or improve coastal protection and damage mitigation plans in coastal communities to increase community resilience. However, to effectively retrofit old structures or design new structures to resist damage due to hurricanes or tsunamis, engineers require an accurate estimation of both the wave hydrodynamics and the resulting loads.