WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING

SAMPLE PROBLEMS IN COASTAL

HYDRAULICS, VVR040

by

Hans Hanson
1. (a) Write down the wave dispersion equation and derive simplified equations for wave
length and wave celerity in deep and shallow water. (Hint: in deep water kd is large
and in shallow water kd is small)
(b) A wave with period T = 10s moves from a water depth of 200 m to a depth of 3 m.
Calculate the wave celerity (C) and wave length (L) at both depths (i.e. at 200 m and 3
m, respectively).
(c) How do T, L, and C vary as we progress from deep to shallow water?

2. (a) A wave with period T = 8s and height H = 5 m is at a depth of d = 15 m. Calculate

the local horizontal and vertical particle velocities, u and w, and accelerations, ax and
2x 2t
az, at a depth of 5 m below the surface when . Use first order
L T 3
theory (Airy).
(b) A wave with height H = 3 m and period T = 10 s is at a water depth of d =12 m.
The same wave at deep water has a wave height of Ho = 3.15 m. Calculate the
horizontal and vertical water particle displacements for z = 0 and z = -d at d = 12 m
2x 2t
when . Also determine the horizontal and vertical water particle
L T 3
displacement radius for z = 0 in deep water. Use first order theory.
(c) Draw the theoretical particle motion paths under passing wave, indicating how the
path varies with depth. 1 sketch for deep-water conditions and 1 sketch for transitional
water depth, and 1 for shallow water.

3. (a) At a depth of d = 12 m he wave height H = 3 m and the wave period T = 10 sec.

Find the maximum horizontal and vertical displacement of a water particle from its
mean position for z = 0 and z = -d, respectively.
(b) Find the maximum water particle displacement at an elevation of z = -7.5 m when
the wave is in deep water. The corresponding deepwater wave height is Ho = 3.13 m
and T = 10 sec.
(c) At the wave base (z = -Lo/2) in (b), show that the particle displacements are small
relative to the wave height Ho.

4. (a) A wave recorder is located 1m above the sea floor. The water depth is 12 m. The
maximum water pressure measured during the passage of a wave was 1.18 x 105 N/m2.
The wave period is 15 sec. Determine the wave height using linear wave theory. The
density of the water is 1000 kg/m3.
(b) Calculate the maximum pressure on the bottom when a wave with length L = 50 m
and H = 2 m passes the point where the depth is 12.5m.

5. A wave with period T = 10 s moves from a water depth of 200 m to a depth of 3 m.

Calculate the wave group velocity, Cg, at both depths (i.e. at 200 m and 3 m,
respectively).

6. A wave with length L = 60 m and H = 1.2 m passes a point where the depth is 6 m.
Calculate the function for the wave profile ( = f()) using first order and second
order wave theories. Plot these on a graph and compare.
Calculate also the horizontal particle velocities at a wave crest for both 1st and 2nd
order wave theory and compare the results.
7. A wave approaches a beach which has a bottom slope of 1:20. The deep water wave
height is 3.0 m. As it approaches the beach to the point of breaking, the refraction
coefficient is Kr = 1.05. The wave period is 10 s. Calculate the breaking wave height
and the depth at which breaking occurs.

8. (a) In deep water a wave has a height of 3 m and a period of 8 s. The wave moves into
a water depth of 8 m. Calculate the wave height and period at the new depth. The
wave does NOT refract.
(b) The same wave moves from 8 m depth to 6 m depth. Calculate the new wave
height (assuming you dont know the deep water wave height).

9. (a) The wave in 8(a) is now crossing straight and parallel bottom contours at an angle
of 30o from deep water to a depth of 8 m. Calculate the wave height in 8 m depth.
How does this differ from the case where the wave moved perpendicular to the
contours (question 8(a)).
(b) A storm generated wave heights H1 = 3.4 m and Ts = 7.3 at a depth of d = 40 m.
The wave crests were at 45o to the bottom contours. Calculate the wave height and
direction outside the harbour entrance where the depth is d = 6 m.

Harbour

30o
a.
45o
b.

(c) The following figures show examples of variable bottom topographies. Sketch the
wave crests and rays across these contours.

Bottom Contours
 Incoming Wave Crest

10. (a) Waves with a period of 8 s and a height of 3 m propagate towards a semi-infinite
breakwater at an angle of 135o. The water depth is 10 m at the breakwater tip.
Determine the wave height at a location 100 m along and 100 m behind the
breakwater.
(b) A ship is anchored in the harbour described in problem 9(b). The location of the
ship is shown in the figure below. The harbour entrance is 60 m wide. Calculate the
wave height near the ship. Assume that the piers are impermeable.

HARBOUR
200 m

300 m

60 m
OCEAN

11. A sinusoidal wave with H = 4.0 m and L = 80 m is propagating from d = 40 m into an

area with d = 7 m at an angle of 30o. In this process it is losing 20% of its energy while
being transformed into a solitary wave. Calculate the height of the solitary wave. (N.B.
difficult!)
7m
30o 40 m
12. The wave condition at d = 25 m (assumed to be deep water) are known with Ho =
2 m, T = 5 sec, and = 28 deg (relative to true North). Use the wave ray method to
calculate the wave conditions in front of the structure below, located at d = 3 m.

H3 = ? , 3 = ?

d=3m

d = 12 m

d = 25 m
o
25 = 28

13. A rectangular harbour of length 300 m and a fairly uniform depth of 10 m is open at
one of the short ends. If seiching occurs in this harbour with an oscillation node at the
harbour entrance and one within the harbour, what is the oscillation period? (assume
shallow water)

14. (a) A wave measured to be 4.5 m in height in deep water with a period of 8 s
propagates from deep to shallow water over a slope of m = 0.05. Estimate at what
depth the wave will break and the breaking wave height. What sort of breaker will it
be? (Spilling, plunging or surging).
(b) Repeat (a) for a wave of 10 s period. What do the results indicate about the
relationship between wave period and wave breaking?

15. (a) What is meant by the significant wave height, Hs? How is it determined from
measurements?
(b) A wave buoy measured wave heights over 10 minutes. A zero-upcrossing method
was used to generate the diagram shown below. The diagram shows the wave heights
in decreasing size order so that the first wave n = 1 is the largest wave measured while
 n = 75 is the smallest wave measured. The natural log of the wave number has been
plotted against the square of the wave height, H2(n). All n-values are NOT plotted.
Using the plot, calculate the significant wave height and mean period.

(c) Describe the difference between upcrossing and downcrossing wave height.

16. Wave hindcasting (and forecasting) can be used to calculate wave heights and periods
using measured (or forecasted) wind velocity, duration and direction. A median wind
speed of 20 m/s is recorded during a half hour period by a wind anemometer located at
5 m above the land surface and 5 km from the coast. Calculate the significant wave
height and period Hs and Ts, at a depth of 9 m if the same wind blew for 4 hours over a
fetch of 200 km.

17. Calculate Hs, H10 and H1 for a corrected wind speed of 18 m/s, a duration of 10 hours
and a fetch length of 150 km. What would be the result if the fetch length was
doubled? Assume deep-water conditions.

18. One of the limitations of these wave hindcasting methods is taking into account the
pre-existing wave energy. This question requires you to use a method to take this into
account. A wind has a corrected strength of 16 m/s for 8 hours, after which it increases
to 20 m/s over the following 4 hours. Calculate the resulting significant wave height
for a fetch of 200 km.

19. (a) Make a sketch of wave runup on a planar slope showing how the runup height, R,
is defined. R consists of elevated water level from two processes. What are these?

(b) A beach with a 1:100 slope is exposed to waves with deepwater height Ho = 2 m,
and period T = 10 sec. Assume that a wave refraction analysis gives a refraction
coefficient KR = 1.05 at the point where breaking is expected to occur. Calculate wave
height and water depth at breaking.
 (c) Calculate the wave setup across the surf zone for the beach in example (b).

20. Calculate the wave runup height, Ru2%, on an even impermeable angled surface with
slope 1:4. The angled surface reaches down to a depth of 1 m. The bottom slope in
front of the construction is 1:100. The significant wave height in front of the structure
is 0.8 m with a period of 7 s. Calculate using the method described in the Delft report
in the back of your folder.

21. A rubble revetment is built as shown in the figure below. The 2-layer rubble slope
above the water line is 1:2 and underwater is 1:3. At the water line, there is a 2 m wide
berm. At the foot of the underwater slope, the water depth is 4 m. The natural bottom
slope is 1:100. The crown of the revetment is at 2.5 m above MSL. Calculate the
runup height, Ru2%, using the method outlined in the Delft report. Also calculate the
overtopping discharge per m of revetment. Use Hs = 2.0 m and T = 6s. Normally
incident waves.

22. (a) Calculate the maximum inertia, Fim, and drag forces, FDm, as well as the maximum
inertial moment, Mim, and drag moment, MDm, at the base of a vertical pile with a
diameter of 0.3 m. The water depth is 30 m, wave height is 3 m and the wave period is
10 s. Assume CM = 2.0 and CD = 1.2. Water density = 1000 kg/m3.

(b) A 40 m lighthouse is to be placed on top of a caisson in a water depth of 50 m. The

caisson is 20 m high and has a diameter of 3 m. The diameter of the lighthouse is 2 m.
Calculate the maximum total force on the lighthouse (excluding the caisson) by the
waves. Use the significant wave height, Hs, in your calculations. Determine also at
which angle, the maximum force occurs. Hs = 9.0 m and Ts = 13.3 s, CM = 1.5 and CD
= 1.5, water density = 1025 kg/m3.
 SWL

40
50

20

Hint for integration: cosh x = 0.5(ex + e-x), sinh x = 0.5(ex - e-x)

cosh2 x = 0.5 (1+cosh 2x)
cosh x dx sinh x, sinh x dx cosh x
23. Calculate the maximum horizontal and vertical forces on a pipe with a diameter of D =
1.0 m lying horizontally on the bottom of the sea (for example, a gas pipeline). The
water depth is 8 m. The design waves are 4 m high and have a period of 8 s. Assume
CM = 3.3 and CD = 2.0, and CL = 2.0. The specific weight of the water is 1.0103
kg/m3. The wave direction is perpendicular to the pipe.

24. Calculate the total force, Fm, and moment, Mm, at the base of a vertical pile with a
diameter of 0.3 m. The water depth is 30 m, the wave height is 3 m and the wave
period is 10 s. Use CM = 2.0 and CD = 1.2

25. A caisson is placed at a water depth of 6 m. The bottom in front of the caisson has a
slope of 0.02 (1:50). Calculate the design breaking wave height if (1) Hs = 3.0m, L =
54 m, and T = 7.5 s and (2) Hs = 3.5m, L = 54 m, and T = 7.5 s

26. Calculate the maximum moment and resulting forces on a flat, 6 m high, vertical wall
exposed to non-breaking waves with height of 1.5 m. The water depth is 3 m and the
period is 6 s. Behind the wall, the water is calm.

27. Calculate maximum force and moment against a vertical structure exposed to breaking
waves. The depth in front of the structure is 3 m, bottom slope is 1:20. The wave
period is 6 s. Behind the structure, the water is calm. No overtopping occurs.

28. The structure in the above example is a caisson breakwater with a total height of 9 m.
Determine the necessary width of the caisson breakwater, with respect to stability and
sliding. The specific weight of the caisson is 2.2103 kg/m3.
29. A caisson breakwater with a total height of 9 m is placed at a depth of 5 m and a
bottom slope of 1:50. The structure is exposed to waves with H1 = 3.0 m and T = 8 s.
Inside the structure there are no waves. Determine the necessary width of the caisson
breakwater, with respect to overturning only. The specific weight of the caisson
2.2103 kg/m3.

30. A rubble-mound, detached breakwater is located at a depth of 4 m. Wave crests are

parallel to the breakwater and the bottom is horizontal. Wave conditions are Hs = 4.0
m and T = 6.6 s. Determine the necessary rock size ( r 2.65 103 kg/m3 ), layer
thickness, and crest width. The breakwater will have a 2-layer armour cover and a
slope of 1:3. ( w 1.024 103 kg/m3 )