Wave Interaction with a Flexible Porous

Breakwater in a Two-Layer Fluid

P. Suresh Kumar1 and T. Sahoo2

Abstract: An analysis has been carried out to study the performance of a flexible porous plate breakwater in a two-layer fluid where each
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fluid is assumed to be of finite depth and the breakwater is extended over the entire water depth. The problem is analyzed in two
dimensions with the assumption of small amplitude wave theory and plate response. The effects of both surface and internal waves are
taken into account in the present study. The associated mixed boundary value problem is reduced to a linear system of equations by
utilizing a more general orthogonal relation along with least squares approximation method. The reflection and transmission coefficients
for the surface and internal modes, wave load, and breakwater response are computed for various physical parameters of interest to
analyze the efficiency of the flexible porous plate as a breakwater in the two-layer fluid.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲0733-9399共2006兲132:9共1007兲
CE Database subject headings: Waves; Porous media; Breakwaters; Plates; Water depth.

Introduction considered the case of a flexible breakwater consisting of a beam

There has been an increasing interest in the use of flexible break-
water as a mean of providing protection from wave attack in
semiprotected regions. Such structures provide an alternative
to more conventional rigid-fixed breakwaters in areas where
poor foundation conditions exist or where protection is required
only on a temporary basis. Moreover, flexible breakwaters
offer the opportunity to have a quick deployable, reusable, and
low-cost wave protection system as compared to those of the rigid
fixed structures. Often the reflected waves from the breakwaters
are also required to be small to reduce the occurrence of
wave resonance, typically inside the harbor region. In such situ-
ation, porous structures can be used effectively to reduce both the
transmitted and reflected wave height. These kind of structures
also experience less hydrodynamic forces. Some of the major
applications of these structures are oil/contaminant spill contain-
ment, temporary protection during coastal construction works,
and augmentation of existing breakwaters for seasonal protection.
Hence, the accurate prediction of the performance of a flexible
porous breakwater is of great importance to coastal-engineering
practice.
There have been numerous previous investigations, both
theoretical and experimental, on flexible breakwaters with and
without porosity. Lee and Chen 共1990兲 and Williams et al. 共1991兲
1 more saline and consequently heavier. The situation can be ideal-
Research Scholar, Dept. of Ocean Engineering and Naval
Architecture, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302, India.
E-mail: sureshគbbsr2000@yahoo.com
2
Associate Professor, Dept. of Ocean Engineering and Naval
Architecture, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302, India
共corresponding author兲. E-mail: tsahoo@naval.iitkgp.ernet.in
Note. Associate Editor: Nikolaos D. Katopodes. Discussion open until
February 1, 2007. Separate discussions must be submitted for individual
papers. To extend the closing date by one month, a written request must
be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor. The manuscript for this paper
was submitted for review and possible publication on August 6, 2004;
approved on February 14, 2006. This paper is part of the Journal of
Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 132, No. 9, September 1, 2006. ©ASCE,
ISSN 0733-9399/2006/9-1007–1014/$25.00.
anchored to the seabed and tensioned by a buoy at the surface.
Williams 共1993兲 analyzed the wave diffraction due to a pair of
flexible breakwater consisting of a compliant beamlike structures
that was anchored to the seabed and kept under tension by a
small buoyancy chamber at the tip. Porous barriers are currently
being suggested into the art of wave dissipation, which was re-
viewed by Chwang and Chan 共1998兲. Wang and Ren 共1993兲 pre-
sented a theoretical study on the scattering of small amplitude
waves by a flexible, porous, and thin beamlike breakwater held
fixed in the seabed. Using the least-squares method, Lee and
Chwang 共2000兲 studied the scattering and generation of water
waves by vertical permeable barriers. Chan and Lee 共2001兲 inves-
tigated wave characteristics past a flexible fishnet. Yip et al.
共2002兲 studied the trapping of surface waves by porous and flex-
ible structures. Williams and Wang 共2003兲 proposed a flexible
porous wave barrier to increase the effectiveness of wetlands
habitat restoration projects.
All the aforementioned wave structure interaction problems
are analyzed in a single fluid domain of homogeneous density.
However, waves can also exist at the interface of two immiscible
liquids having two different densities. Such a sharp density gra-
dient can, for example, be generated in the ocean by solar
heating of the upper layer, or in an estuary or a fjord into which
fresh 共less saline兲 river water flows over oceanic water, which is
ized as a two-layer fluid by considering a lighter fluid of density
␳1 lying over a heavier fluid of density ␳2. The classical problem
of propagation of waves in a two-layer fluid separated by a
common interface with the upper fluid having a free surface is
explained in Lamb 共1932兲 Art. 231 and Wehausen and Laitone
共1960兲. In a two-layer fluid having a free surface, two different
types of wave modes exists. In the case of the two-layer fluid,
the waves originated at the free surface are referred as waves
in SM 共surface mode or fast mode兲 and the waves originated at
the interface are referred as waves in IM 共internal modes or
slow mode兲 共see Milne-Thomson 1996 and Kundu and Cohen
2002兲. Due to various applications of wave structure interaction

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J. Eng. Mech., 2006, 132(9): 1007-1014

 problems in the marine environment, there is a recent interest in
analyzing wave structure interaction problems in two-layer fluid.
Linton and McIver 共1995兲 developed a general theory for a two-
dimensional wave scattering by the horizontal cylinders in an
infinitely deep two-layer fluid. The motivation for their work
came from a plan to build an underwater pipe bridge across one
of the Norwegian fjords, bodies of water which typically consist
of a layer of fresh water about 10 m thick on top of a very deep
body of salt water. Work on three-dimensional scattering can be
found in Cadby and Linton 共2000兲. Other notable work on wave-
structure interaction in two-layer fluid includes Zilman et al. Fig. 1. Definition sketch
共1996兲, and Zilman and Miloh 共1995兲 in which the effect of a
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shallow layer of fluid mud on the hydrodynamics of floating bod-

ies was analyzed. In Barthélemy et al. 共2000兲, the scattering of
waves by a step bottom in a two-layer fluid was considered to
understand how tides are scattered at the continental shelf break. frequency ␻. Therefore, the velocity potential ⌽ exists such
However, very little progress is made to analyze the performance that ⌽ j共x , y , t兲 = R关␾ j共x , y兲exp共−i␻t兲兴, where the spatial velocity
of wave barriers in two-layer fluid. Sherief et al. 共1998兲 analyzed potentials ␾ j共j = 1 , 2兲 satisfy the Laplace equation
the effect of gravity waves generated by a porous wavemaker in
two-layer fluid with the upper fluid having a free surface. Re- ⵜ 2␾ j = 0 in the fluid region j 共1兲
cently, Kumar and Sahoo 共2005兲 analyzed the trapping of surface
and internal waves by flexible porous partial barriers in a two- where j = 1 refers to the fluid region −⬁ ⬍ x ⬍ 0; and 0 ⬍ y ⬍ H,
layer fluid. and j = 2 refer to the fluid region 0 ⬍ x ⬍ + ⬁; 0 ⬍ y ⬍ H 共see
In the present work, the performance of a flexible porous Fig. 1兲. The linearized free surface boundary condition is
breakwater in a two-layer fluid domain is investigated based on
the linearized theory of water waves. In the study, both layers of ⳵␾ j
fluid are considered to be of finite depth and the flexible break- + K␾ j = 0 共j = 1,2兲 on y = 0 共2兲
⳵y
water consists of a porous plate that extends over the entire water
depth. The breakwater is modeled as a thin plate and the analysis where K = ␻2 / g; and g = gravitational constant. At the inter-
is carried out by assuming that the breakwater is fixed at the face, the continuity of the vertical component of velocity and
seabed and is free at the free surface. The reflection and energy pressure yields to the boundary conditions 共see Wehausen and
dissipation characteristics of the system subjected to normal inci- Laitone 1960兲
dent waves 共one in SM at the free surface and the other in IM at
the interface兲 are investigated. The boundary condition on the
porous barrier is developed by Yu and Chwang 共1994兲, which
is a generalization of the one developed by Chwang 共1983兲. The
冉 冊 冉 冊
⳵␾ j
⳵y y=h+
=
⳵␾ j
⳵y y=h−
and 共3兲

冉 冊 冉 冊
boundary value problem is solved by utilizing a orthogonal
relation suitable for the two-layer fluid domain along with the ⳵␾ j ⳵␾ j
+ K␾ j =s + K␾ j 共j = 1,2兲 共4兲
least-squares approximation method. The behavior of the energy ⳵y y=h+ ⳵y y=h−
reflection in both SM and IM, hydrodynamic force, and break-
where s = ␳1 / ␳2 with 0 ⬍ s ⬍ 1. The condition on the rigid bottom
water response, due to two-layer fluid wave motion are investi-
is given by
gated for various parameters of interest, such as nondimensional
wave number, water depth, fluid density ratio of the two-layer
fluid, porous-effect parameter, and the flexural rigidity of the ⳵␾ j
=0 共j = 1,2兲 on y = H 共5兲
breakwater. ⳵y
The radiation conditions are given by
II
Mathematical Formulation
␾1 → 兺
n=I
共Ineip x + Rne−ip x兲f n共pn,y兲 as x → − ⬁
n n 共6兲
In the present work, the problem is analyzed in a two-dimensional
Cartesian coordinate system. The two fluids are assumed to be and
inviscid and incompressible and the wave motion is considered
II
in the linearized theory of water wave neglecting the effect
of surface tension. In the two layer fluid, the upper fluid has a ␾2 → 兺
n=I
Tneip x f n共pn,y兲 as x → + ⬁
n 共7兲
free surface 共undisturbed surface located at y = 0兲 and the two
fluids are separated by a common interface 共undisturbed surface where In, Rn, and Tn for n = I, II= the incident, reflected, and trans-
located at y = h兲, each fluid is of infinite horizontal extent oc- mitted wave amplitudes in SM and IM, respectively. It may be
cupying the region −⬁ ⬍ x ⬍ + ⬁; 0 ⬍ y ⬍ h in the case of the noted that pI and pII are wave numbers for the incident waves
upper fluid of density ␳1 and −⬁ ⬍ x ⬍ + ⬁; h ⬍ y ⬍ H in the case in SM and IM, respectively. Similar definitions for the velo-
of the lower fluid of density ␳2. The undisturbed position of city potentials in a scattering problem for a two-layer fluid is
porous breakwater is at x = 0; 0 艋 y 艋 H. The flow is assumed to given by Barthélemy et al. 共2000兲. The expression for f n’s is
be irrotational and simple harmonic in time with angular given by

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J. Eng. Mech., 2006, 132(9): 1007-1014

 冦 冧
sinh pn共h − H兲关pn cosh pny − K sinh pny兴
, for 0 ⬍ y ⬍ h
f n共pn,y兲 = pn sinh pnh − K cosh pnh 共8兲
cosh pn共y − H兲, for h ⬍ y ⬍ H

Assuming that the breakwater is deflected horizontally with to be determined and pn’s for n = I , II, 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . are the roots of
displacement ␨共y , t兲 = R关␰共y兲e−i␻t兴 with ␰共y兲 denoting the complex the dispersion relation in p as given by
deflection amplitude, the boundary condition on the flexible po-
rous breakwater is given by
共1 − s兲p2 tanh p共H − h兲tanh ph − pK关tanh ph + tanh p共H − h兲兴
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⳵␾ j + K2关s tanh p共H − h兲tanh ph + 1兴 = 0 共15兲

= ik0G共␾2 − ␾1兲 = i␻␰ 共j = 1,2兲 on x = 0; 0⬍y⬍H
⳵x The eigenfunctions f n共pn , y兲’s are integrable in 共0 ⬍ y ⬍ h兲
共9兲 艛 共h ⬍ y ⬍ H兲 having a single discontinuity at y = h and are or-
thogonal with respect to the inner product as defined by
where G = complex porous-effect parameter as defined by Yu

冕 冕
and Chwang 共1994兲. The breakwater response is analyzed by as- h H
suming that the breakwater behaves like a one-dimensional beam 具␾,␺典 = ␳1 ␾共y兲␺共y兲dy + ␳2 ␾共y兲␺共y兲dy 共16兲
of uniform flexural rigidity EI and mass per unit length ms. 0 h
Hence, the governing equation of the breakwater response is
given by This may be easily seen from the fact that f n共pn , y兲’s for
n = I , II, 1 , 2 , 3 , . . ., are the eigenfunctions associated with the self-
adjoint operator

冦 冧
i␻␳1
共␾2 − ␾1兲, for 0 ⬍ y ⬍ h
d␰4
EI d 2⌰
− ␤ 4␰ = 共10兲 L⌰ ⬅ = ␭2⌰, y 苸 共0,h兲 艛 共h,H兲
dy 4 i␻␳2 dy 2
共␾2 − ␾1兲, for h ⬍ y ⬍ H
EI corresponding to the eigenvalues ␭ = pn for n = I , II, 1 , 2 , 3 , . . ., sat-
isfying the end conditions as given by
where ␤ = structural frequency parameter as defined by
␤ = 共ms␻2 / EI兲1/4. The breakwater will behave like a cantilever as
it is assumed in the study that the breakwater has a free and fixed ⌰⬘共0兲 + K⌰共0兲 = 0
ends at the free surface and seabed, respectively. The correspond-
ing end conditions are given by ⌰⬘共H兲 = 0
and the conditions at the point of discontinuity y = h as given by
␰⬙共0兲 = 0, ␰⵮共0兲 = 0, ␰共H兲 = 0, ␰⬘共H兲 = 0 共11兲
The deflection, slope of deflection, bending moment and the shear ⌰⬘共h − 0兲 = ⌰⬘共h + 0兲
force acting on the breakwater are continuous at the interface,
the point on the breakwater where the two fluid meet each other
共x = 0; y = h兲 共Yip et al. 2002兲, which yields ␳1关⌰⬘共h − 0兲 + K⌰共h − 0兲兴 = ␳2关⌰⬘共h + 0兲 + K⌰共h + 0兲兴
where prime denotes the first derivative with respect to y. Further,
␰共y兲, ␰⬘共y兲, ␰⬙共y兲, ␰⵮共y兲 are continuous at y = h 共12兲 it may be noted that the orthogonal relation 关Eq. 共16兲兴 reduces to
the usual one of the single-layer fluid when ␳1 = ␳2.
Applying the continuity of ␾x 关Eq. 共9兲兴 along the porous
breakwater on x = 0 and invoking the orthogonality relation
Method of Solution of the breakwater eigenfunctions 关Eq. 共16兲兴 over 0 ⬍ y ⬍ H, we
obtain
The spatial velocity potentials ␾ j for j = 1 , 2 satisfying Eq. 共1兲
along with conditions 共2兲–共7兲 are expressed as
In − Rn = Tn for n = I,II and Rn = − Tn for n = 1,2,3, . . . 共17兲
II ⬁
A general solution for the breakwater governing equation
␾1 = 兺
n=I
Ineip x f n共pn,y兲 + 兺 Rne−ip x f n共pn,y兲,
n
n=I,II,1
n for x ⬍ 0 关Eq. 共10兲兴 is of the form

共13兲 ␰共y兲 = E1ei␤y + E2e−i␤y + E3e␤y + E4e−␤y

and ⬁
2i␻␳ Rn f n共pn,y兲
⬁ − 兺
EI n=I,II,1 p4n + ␤4
for 共0 ⬍ y ⬍ h兲 艛 共h ⬍ y ⬍ H兲
␾2 = 兺
n=I,II,1
T ne ipnx
f n共pn,y兲, for x ⬎ 0 共14兲
共18兲
where the expression for f n’s for n = I , II, 1 , 2 , . . . is as defined where the arbitrary constants Ei, i = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and the fluid density
in Eq. 共8兲. Rn’s and Tn’s for n = I , II, 1 , 2 , . . . = unknown constants ␳ are defined as below

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J. Eng. Mech., 2006, 132(9): 1007-1014

 Ei = 再 Ci for 0 ⬍ y ⬍ h
Di for h ⬍ y ⬍ H
冎 共i = 1,2,3,4兲, ␳= 再 ␳1 for 0 ⬍ y ⬍ h
␳2 for h ⬍ y ⬍ H
冎
Substituting this general solution for ␰ 关Eq. 共18兲兴 in Eq. 共9兲 and using the relations in Eqs. 共13兲, 共14兲, and 共17兲, the following expression
is derived
⬁

h0共y兲 + 兺 Rnhn共y兲 = 0,
n=I,II,1
共0 ⬍ y ⬍ h兲 艛 共h ⬍ y ⬍ H兲 共19兲

where

h0共y兲 = 再 i关pIII f I共pI,y兲 + pIIIII f II共pII,y兲 + ␻共C1ei␤y + C2e−i␤y + C3e␤y + C4e−␤y兲兴, for 0 ⬍ y ⬍ h
i关pIII f I共pI,y兲 + pIIIII f II共pII,y兲 + ␻共D1ei␤y + D2e−i␤y + D3e␤y + D4e−␤y兲兴, for h ⬍ y ⬍ H
冎
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冋 册
冦 冧
2␻2␳1
− ipn − 2ipIG f n共pn,y兲, for 0 ⬍ y ⬍ h,
共p4n − ␤4兲EI
hn共y兲 = 共n = I,II,1,2, . . . 兲

冋 2␻ ␳22

共p4n − ␤4兲EI
册
− ipn − 2ipIG f n共pn,y兲, for h ⬍ y ⬍ H

Let breakwater mass density has a minimal influence on the efficiency

N
of the structure as a barrier to the wave motion. The reflection and

兺 Rnhn共y兲,
transmission coefficients are defined by
Q共y兲 = h0共y兲 + for 共0 ⬍ y ⬍ h兲 艛 共h ⬍ y ⬍ H兲
n=I,II,1

共20兲
KrI = 冏 冏
R1
I1
and KtI =
T1
I1
冏 冏 in SM

冏 冏 冏 冏
Applying the least-squares method,
R2 T2

冕
H KrII = and KtII = in IM 共23兲
⳵Q共y兲 I2 I2
Q̄共y兲 dy = 0 for n = I,II,1,2, . . . 共21兲
0 ⳵Rn The local hydrodynamic force coefficient K f is given by
where the bar denotes the complex conjugate. This provides K f = 兩F0 / ␳2gHh兩, where
N + 2 linear equations with N + 10 number of unknowns, as h0共y兲
冕
H
involves eight extra unknowns Ci’s and Di’s 共for i = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4兲. F0 = i␻ 兵␳关␾2共0,y兲 − ␾1共0,y兲兴其dy 共24兲
These N + 2 linear equations in the integral form are mentioned as 0
below

冕冋 册
A study is carried out to estimate the number of evanescent
H N modes N 关see Eq. 共22兲兴 needed for convergence of the system of

0
h0共y兲 + 兺
n=1
Rnhn共y兲 h̄i共y兲dy = 0 for i = I,II,1,2, . . . ,N
共22兲
Another eight linear equations are obtained from the breakwater
end conditions 关Eq. 共11兲兴, interface conditions 关Eq. 共12兲兴 and the
expression for ␰ in Eq. 共18兲. This system of equations is solved to
obtain the various physical quantities of interest.
Numerical Results and Discussion
Numerical results are generated to study the combined effect of
porosity and flexibility of breakwater on the wave motion in a
two-layer fluid. For convenience, the wave parameters are given
in terms of the non-dimensional wave number pIH in SM, water
depth h / H, fluid density ratio s and the breakwater parameters
like the flexural rigidity EI / ␳2gH4, porous-effect parameter G,
and mass per unit length ms. In the present study, the breakwater
mass ms is kept fixed at ms = 10 kg/ m2 throughout the analysis
关same numerical value for ms is taken by Wang and Ren 共1993兲兴
because it is observed by Williams and Wang 共2003兲 that the
equation. It is observed that eight to ten evanescent modes are
enough to obtain the reflection/transmission coefficients 共in both
SM and IM兲 accurately up to three-decimal point in most of the
physical situations considered in the present study. A case study is
plotted in Figs. 2共a and b兲, which depicts the effect of a number of
selected evanescent modes, N on the accuracy of reflection/
transmission coefficients in SM and IM, respectively. It may be
seen from Fig. 2 that for N = 10 and 15, the deviation in results is
insignificant. In the present study, 15 evanescent modes are taken
for computation of all numerical results.
Energy Reflection and Transmission
In this subsection, the effects of various nondimensional physical
parameters on wave reflection and transmission in both SM and
IM are analyzed. For the sake of simplicity, all results in the
present subsection are analyzed with respect to the normalized
SM wave number pIH by allowing the normalized IM wave num-
ber pIIH to vary based on the dispersion relation as in Eq. 共15兲.
The effect of nondimensional breakwater flexural rigidity on
the reflection and transmission coefficients in SM and IM is
shown in Figs. 3共a and b兲, respectively. The general pattern of

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Fig. 2. Reflection coefficient in 共a兲 SM and 共b兲 IM versus pIH for
different N values at EI / ␳2gH4 = 0.01, G = 1, s = 0.75, and h / H = 0.25
Fig. 3. Reflection coefficient in 共a兲 SM and 共b兲 IM versus pIH for
different EI / ␳2gH4 values at G = 1, s = 0.9, and h / H = 0.25
JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS © ASCE / SEPTEMBER 2006 / 1011
J. Eng. Mech., 2006, 132(9): 1007-1014
Fig. 4. Reflection coefficient in 共a兲 SM and 共b兲 IM versus pIH for
different G values at h / H = 0.75, s = 0.75, and EI / ␳2gH4 = 0.02
wave reflection in both SM and IM is that it increases from zero
to its peak in the shallow water region, and thereafter it reduces
and a negligible reflection appears in the deep water region. Simi-
lar observations were found for wave reflection by a plate barrier
in a single-layer fluid in the past 共see, Figs. 4.4–4.8 Williams and
Wang 2003兲. Wave reflection increases and wave transmission
decreases with an increase in the stiffness of the breakwater for
both SM and IM wave motion. This is intuitively expected, as a
stiffer structure will resist more waves, which as a result leads to
higher wave reflection. Similar observations were made by Wang
and Ren 共1993兲 in the analysis of wave scattering by a flexible
barrier in a single-layer fluid domain of constant density.
The variation of reflection and transmission coefficients versus
pIH in both cases of SM and IM are plotted in Figs. 4共a and b兲,
respectively, for different values of the porous-effect parameter
G. Highest wave reflection and lowest wave transmission peaks
共in both SM and IM cases兲 are observed for the case where break-
water has zero porosity, which is similar to the observations in the
case of a single-layer fluid by Williams and Wang 共2003兲. How-
ever, it is observed that for G with a large value of inertia effect of
fluid inside the porous breakwater, wave reflection 共in both SM
and IM cases兲 is high. The probable reason may be that, in such a
situation, the waves are significantly obstructed by the porous
breakwater.
The effect of the depth ratio h / H of two fluids on the reflection
and transmission coefficients in SM and IM are shown in
Figs. 5共a and b兲, respectively. In SM wave motion, the highest
wave reflection peak is observed for h / H = 0.25, and the lowest
wave transmission peak is observed for h / H = 0.5 关see Fig. 5共a兲兴.
However, the general pattern of wave reflection and transmission
in the case of SM wave motion is not significantly affected by
the interface location. On the other hand, in IM wave motion,
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Fig. 5. Reflection coefficient in 共a兲 SM and 共b兲 IM versus pIH
for different h / H ratios at G = 2, s = 0.9, and EI / ␳2gH4 = 0.1
Fig. 6. Reflection coefficient in 共a兲 SM and 共b兲 IM versus pIH
for different s values at h / H = 0.75, G = 1 + 0.5i, and EI / ␳2gH4 = 0.06
1012 / JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS © ASCE / SEPTEMBER 2006
J. Eng. Mech., 2006, 132(9): 1007-1014
Fig. 7. Breakwater displacement profile for different EI / ␳2gH4
values at h / H = 0.25, s = 0.9, pIH = 0.5, and G = 1
when the interface is located very near to either the free sur-
face 共h / H = 0.1兲 or the seabed 共h / H = 0.9兲 关see Fig. 5共b兲兴, wave
reflection increases and accordingly there is a reduction in the
wave transmission. The probable reason for this change in the
general pattern of wave reflection and transmission in the case of
IM wave motion is due to the resonating interaction of surface
and internal waves for h / H = 0.1, and it is due to the influence of
the seabed for h / H = 0.9. In a two-layer fluid, the thin upper layer
can be found in the ocean where upper layer density changes due
to solar heating. The thin lower layer can be found in the ocean
close to the seabed where the fluid density changes due to mud
and salinity.
The reflection and transmission coefficients are plotted versus
pIH in SM and IM for various values of s in Figs. 6共a and b兲,
respectively. The general pattern of wave reflection and trans-
mission in the case of SM wave motion is not significantly af-
fected by the change in the value of s 关see Fig. 6共a兲兴. However, in
case of wave motion in IM, when fluid density ratio approaches 1
共s = 0.99 and 0.995兲, the reflection coefficient increases initially
with an increase in pIH and maintains a uniform value for a
higher wave number, i.e., in the deep water region 关see Fig. 6共b兲兴.
In general, it is observed in the case of IM wave motion that
wave reflection increases and wave transmission decreases with
an increase in the value of s. This is intuitively expected, as
the fluid density ratio s approaches unity, the interface elevation
becomes significantly high 共see, Kundu and Cohen 2002 and
Milne-Thomson 1996兲. This increase in the elevation of the inter-
face helps more waves in IM to reflect. For most of the situations
in the real ocean, the fluid density ratio s is very close to 1. This
observation suggests that, although the reflection coefficient for
wave motion in SM is not significantly affected, the effect of the
Fig. 8. Breakwater displacement profile for different G values
at s = 0.9, pIH = 0.5, h / H = 0.25, and EI / ␳2gH4 = 0.02
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by National Inst Of Tech - Calicut on 01/15/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
Fig. 9. Breakwater displacement profile for different values of h / H
at pIH = 0.5, s = 0.9, G = 1 + 0.5i, and EI / ␳2gH4 = 0.02
wave motion in IM cannot be neglected as s → 1. For this kind of
situation, the structure will experience high wave load due to the
impact of internal waves.
Breakwater Response and Hydrodynamic Force
In the present subsection, the breakwater response and the hydro-
dynamic force on the breakwater are analyzed. Unlike the case of
reflection and transmission coefficients, the plate response and
hydrodynamic force are computed based on the combined effect
of the waves in SM and IM apart from the local effects.
Variation of breakwater response 兩␰ / II兩 for different values of
nondimensional breakwater flexural rigidity EI / ␳2gH4, porous-
effect parameter G, and depth ratio h / H are plotted in Figs. 7–9.
The breakwater deflection increases with a decrease in the rigidity
of breakwater in Fig. 7. This is intuitively expected because a
less rigid structure will deform, or bend more, under the action of
a wave load. In Fig. 8, the breakwater displacement is high for
G = 0. Similar observations are made in a single-layer fluid study
共see, Wang and Ren 1993, Fig. 5兲. This is because a less porous
structure will experience a higher force. However, for very high
porosity, the strength of the structure will decrease and may cause
higher bending 共see the cases of G = 2 and 1 + 2i兲. The bending of
the breakwater increases with a decrease in the value of h / H in
Fig. 9. This is because, a cantilever will bend more when the
location of the concentration of load is at higher distance from the
fixed end. In addition, as the free surface and interface are close
to each other, the wave load on the structure becomes high near
the free surface.
The hydrodynamic force coefficients K f acting on the
breakwater versus nondimensional flexural rigidity EI / ␳2gH4
Fig. 10. Force coefficient versus EI / ␳2gH4 for different G values
at pIH = 0.5, h / H = 0.25, and s = 0.9
JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS © ASCE / SEPTEMBER 2006 / 1013
J. Eng. Mech., 2006, 132(9): 1007-1014
Fig. 11. Force coefficient versus EI / ␳2gH4 for different h / H ratios
at pIH = 0.5, s = 0.9, and G = 1 + 0.5i
for different values of G and h / H are presented in Figs. 10 and
11. In general, the hydrodynamic force increases with an increase
in flexural rigidity and then attains a constant value for higher
values of EI / ␳2gH4. This is because, at a higher value of
EI / ␳2gH4, the breakwater behaves like a rigid wall. Further,
the hydrodynamic force on the structure reduces with an increase
in porosity, as expected 共Fig. 10兲. Similar observations were
made in the case of a single-layer fluid by Wang and Ren 共1993兲.
The wave load on the breakwater decreases with an increase in
the value of h / H in Fig. 11. With an increase in the value of h / H,
the combined effect of waves in SM and IM decreases as does the
force on the breakwater.
Conclusion
The performance of a vertical flexible porous breakwater fixed at
the seabed and free at the free surface is investigated in a two-
layer fluid of finite depth with the upper fluid having a free sur-
face. An orthogonal relation suitable for a two-layer fluid having
a free surface is utilized along with the least-square approxima-
tion method to deal with the boundary value problem. The wave
reflection and transmission in a two-layer fluid by a flexible
porous breakwater was found to be strongly dependent on the
interface location and the fluid density ratio apart from the struc-
tural rigidity and the porosity. Moreover, the hydrodynamic
force on the breakwater and the breakwater response were also
studied, and the important observations were discussed. These
observations are of significant importance in the design of
breakwaters, either in locations where there exists a layer of
fresh water above the salt water or in estuaries where fluid strati-
fication plays a crucial role. A similar approach can be utilized to
study more general problems in two-layer fluid having a free
surface.
Acknowledgments
One of the writers 共P.S.K.兲 acknowledges the Indian Institute of
Technology, Kharagpur for support as a research student. This
research work is partially supported by Naval Research Board,
New Delhi.
 Nomenclature
The following symbols are used in this paper:
EI ⫽ flexural rigidity;
G ⫽ porous-effect parameter;
g ⫽ acceleration due to gravity;
H ⫽ total depth of entire fluid domain;
h ⫽ depth of upper fluid;
II , III ⫽ amplitude of incident wave in SM and IM;
K ⫽ ␻2 / g;
K f ⫽ hydrodynamic force coefficient;
KrI , KrII ⫽ reflection coefficient in surface mode 共SM兲 and
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by National Inst Of Tech - Calicut on 01/15/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
internal mode 共IM兲;
KtI , KtII ⫽ transmission coefficient in SM and IM;
k0 ⫽ incident wave number;
ms ⫽ breakwater mass per unit length;
p ⫽ wave number related with the frequency in the
dispersion relation;
pI , pII ⫽ incident wave number in SM and IM;
RI , RII ⫽ amplitude of reflected wave in SM and IM;
s ⫽ two-layer fluid density ratio;
TI , TII ⫽ amplitude of transmitted wave in SM and IM;
x , y ⫽ horizontal and vertical Cartesian coordinates;
␤ ⫽ structural frequency parameter;
␨ ⫽ breakwater deflection 共function of y and t兲;
␰ ⫽ breakwater deflection 共function of y兲;
␳ ⫽ density of fluid;
␳1 , ␳2 ⫽ density of upper and lower fluid;
⌽ ⫽ velocity potential 共function of both space and
time兲;
␾ ⫽ spatial velocity potential; and
␻ ⫽ wave frequency.
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