An Improved Coupling of Numerical and Physical Models for Simulating Wave Propagation

An improved coupling of numerical and physical models for simulating 2D wave propagation is developed in this paper. In the proposed model, an unstructured finite element model (FEM) based Boussinesq equations is applied for the numerical wave simulation, and a 2D piston-type wavemaker is used for the physical wave generation. An innovative scheme combining fourth-order Lagrange interpolation and Runge-Kutta scheme is described for solving the coupling equation. A Transfer function modulation method is presented to minimize the errors induced from the hydrodynamic invalidity of the coupling model and/or the mechanical capability of the wavemaker in area where nonlinearities or dispersion predominate. The overall performance and applicability of the coupling model has been experimentally validated by accounting for both regular and irregular waves and varying bathymetry. Experimental results show that the proposed numerical scheme and transfer function modulation method are efficient for the data transfer from the numerical model to the physical model up to a deterministic level.