Comparative hydrodynamic analysis of T and inverse T-shape floating breakwater in oblique wave

Abstract

Floating breakwaters hold the potential for a cost-effective solution to offshore protection. This paper conducts a comparative analysis by integrating rectangular horizontal and vertical box configurations to create ”T-shape” and ”inverse T-shape” models as alternative breakwater designs. The engineering and construction of the T-shape and inverse T-shape floating breakwaters represent a significant development in breakwater technology. The study examines the hydrodynamic performance of these breakwaters, focusing on their ability to reduce wave transmission and protect coastal infrastructure. The T and inverse T-shape designs aim to provide flexible and eco-friendly solutions for various coastal environments, particularly those with soft seabeds and moderate wave conditions. This research evaluates their effectiveness in wave reflection, transmission, and hydrodynamic forces, with potential applications in areas such as fishing shelters, port infrastructure, and floating coastal protection systems. The proposed models are formulated using singular integral equations, with the horizontal velocity components as the unknown functions. The Galerkin technique is then adopted to obtain approximate solutions by addressing these singularities. This analytical approach provides an effective validation tool for various numerical approximation methods and then key parameters are studied further which are critical for breakwater designing. Models efficiency are assessed not only through reflection and transmission coefficients but also by analyzing wave forces (horizontal, vertical, and mean drift). The study highlights the importance of breakwater width and draft, and examines how changing wave directions can induce anti-resonance phenomena, affecting breakwater performance.