OCE421

Marine Structure Designs

Lecture #13
(Wave Runup)

Runup: Definition Sketch

The vertical height above the still-water

level to which water from an incident
wave will run up the face of a structure

R
relative wave runup = 0
Ho

Design Importance on Runup Level

The wave runup level is one of the most
important factors affecting the design of
coastal structures because it determines the
design crest level of the structure in cases
where no overtopping is accepted.

Hunts Formula (1959)

Runup of breaking monochromatic waves on a plane slope

R
tan
=p
H
H=L o

(surf similarity parameter)

where H is the wave height approaching the slope

Hunts formula is only for broken waves and neglects
the slope conditions (porosity, roughness).

Factors Important to Wave Runup

Estimation
Surface roughness/permeability (porosity)
Structure slope (slope geometry if other than
planar)
Water depth at structure toe
Incident wave characteristics (wave steepness)
Bottom slope in front of the structure (omitted in
SPM approach)

Laboratory Study on Runup

Numerous laboratory investigations have been conducted,
but mostly for runup on smooth, impermeable slopes.
Most results are based on small-scale wave flume tests
(runup of regular waves)
Some limited large-scale tests indicate that the values
predicted by small-scale tests should be somewhat increased.
R
relative wave runup = 0
Ho
the inverse of the plane slope = cot
H o0
incident wave steepness =
gT 2

SPM Wave Runup Curves

R
H o0

versus

vertical
coordinate

SPM figures
for various
water depth:

cot
horizontal
coordinate

H o0
gT 2

for various

a number of
curves

Fig. 7-8 ds=H o0 = 0

Fig. 7-9 ds=H o0 = 0:45
Fig. 7-10 ds=H o0 = 0:8
Fig. 7-11 ds=H o0 = 2:0
Fig. 7-12 ds=H o0 3:0

Numerical Example
ds
= 0.3
0
Ho

(interpolate between figures 7-8 and 7-9)

H o0
= 0.001
2
gT

(interpolate between curves 0.0009 and 0.0012)

cot = 1.5

(2V:3H)

SPM Figure 7-8:

Wave Runup Curves
H o0
gT 2

0.0009
0.0012

0.0003

R
H o0
0.0124

cot

ds=H o0 = 0

SPM Figure
7-20:
smooth slope
Wave Runup Curves cot
rubble-mound slope

R
H o0

H o0
gT 2

ds=H o0 =
>0
3

Small-Scale Correction

cot

Roughness/Porosity Factor
r=

R (rough slope)
R (smooth slope)

Rough Slope Runup Correction Factors

Design of Coastal Revetments, Seawalls, and Bulkheads

Wall Shapes

Matlab Function: Runup

function R = runup(Hop, T, ds, scot, rf)
%---------------------------------------------------------------%
function R = runup(Hop, T, ds, scot, rf)
%
%
To calculate wave runup according to figures shown in SPM.
%
It is assumed those figures are applicable to various "m"
%
(nearshore slope), although the original data are collected
%
at m=0.1.
%
%
R
= wave runup (in meters)
%
Hop = unrefracted deepwater wave height (in meters)
%
T
= wave period (in seconds)
%
ds
= water depth at structure toe (in meters)
%
scot = structure slope (1 V : scot H)
%
rf
= a string, either 'smooth', 'quarry-r', 'c-armor'

Runup of Composite Slopes

A method proposed by Saville (1957) may be used
with caution.
Composite slope

Hypothetical, uniform slope

hypothetical slope:
running from the bottom, at the point where the incident
wave breaks, up to the point of maximum runup of the
structure (successive approximation)
NOT be used: where beach berms are wider than L/4;
L = design wave length.

Hypothetical Slope

R1
berm
db
The runup on the ocean-side slope is first calculated: R1

Compound Slope

If the structure is important, model tests of wave

runup should be conducted.

Compound Slope (contd.)

successive approximation

Runup of Irregular Waves

Random waves

Random runups

Question:
Under irregular waves, what is the corresponding runup value with
1% probability of exceedance?
Assumptions:
1. Rayleigh distribution for wave height and wave runup
2. Rs (significant wave runup) is calculated based on the value
of Hs, using the monochromatic wave approach.

Rayleigh PDF
Rayleigh pdf

"

2h
pH (h) = 2 exp
H rms

2#
h
;

H rms

h 0

Rayleigh pdf as a function of mean wave height

"

2#
h
h
pH (h) =
exp
;
2
4 H
2H

h 0

Rayleigh Probability of Exceedance

"
PH (h) = 1 exp

2#
h
;

H rms

"

QH (h) = 1 PH (h) = exp

ln(Q) =

h
H rms

h 0
2#
h
;

H rms

h 0

Wave Height of Specific POE

ln(Q) =
p

H rms

ln(Q) =

h
H rms

when Q = 1=n, thecorresponding h is denoted as H 1=

n

ln(1=n) =

H 1=
n

H rms
=
H 1=
n

ln(n) H rms

ln(n) =

H 1=
n

H rms

Wave Runup of Specific POE

when Q = 1=n, thecorresponding h is denoted as H 1=

n
=
H 1=
n

ln(n) H rms

H s 2H rms

when Q = 1=n, thecorresponding r is denoted as R 1=

n
p
p
= ln(n) R
R s 2R rms
R 1=
rms
n
r
ln(n)

R 1=n =
Rs
2

Q = 1=100

R 1=
100 =

(SPM notation for R

: R 0.01 ) s
1=100 = 1:517R

ln(100)
Rs
2

R 1=
100 = 1:517R s