HYDRAULIC MODEL EXPERIMENTS ON TSUNAMI WAVE FORCE CONTAINING SAND, SILT AND CLAY

Abstract

 Recently, it has been reported that tsunami wave force containing bottom sediment increases more than the increment of hydrostatic pressure with the increase of fluid density. On the other hand, there have been few cases in which the relationship between the wave force increase and bottom sediment, density, wave shape, and other factors have been verified. In this study, hydraulic model experiments simulating tsunamis containing sand, silt and clay were conducted to confirm the existence and conditions under which the wave force increases by varying the location and type of structures under controlled conditions of fluid density and water temperature. The relationship between the shape and velocity of the tsunami tip and the maximum wave force was focused on, and the differences between the normal tsunami and those containing sand, silt, and clay were analyzed. The results showed that there were differences in water surface angles and their statistical variations, but no increase in wave force beyond the increment of fluid density was observed at the maximum time, including the maximum wave force.