Application of the Interfoam VoF Code to Coastal Wave/Structure Interaction

Abstract

The validation of the “interFoam” CFD model (part of the OpenFOAM)CFD library is described for a number of wave/structure interaction problems.The background to the research is described, including the reasonsfor the selection of a new, previously unvalidated CFD code for this purpose.The numerical aspects of the code are briefly reviewed as are someof its additional features including the simulation of porous media. Thenew wave-generating boundary condition, created as part of this project,is described.The model is validated for the propagation of waves, including violent,breaking waves, using the widely-known “Dingemans” test case aswell as new data for wave and focussed wave group propagation overa bar. The model is validated for wave interaction with surface-piercingstructures by examining a test case for focussed wave-group impact ona surface-piercing cylinder with one near-breaking wave and a second,breaking, wave. The model is shown to perform well in these cases withoutthe need for calibration and can therefore be considered to be a valuabledesign tool. It is also shown that in these cases the model can runsufficiently fast to be practical and economic for use as a design tool.The model is validated for porous media with a case examining porepressuretransmission through a porous breakwater. The model performspoorly without calibration, highlighting the high levels of uncertaintyin the Darcy parameter, but once calibrated is found to produceaccurate results in very reasonable time. A case study of a porous roundheaddefence structure is also presented to further reinforce the practicalusefulness of the model in design.

Date of Award	31 Dec 2013
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Jun Zang (Supervisor) & Andrew Heath (Supervisor)