18-in and 3-ft Wave Flume Facility
Description
The Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory,
maintains and
operates extensive
laboratory
facilities used for
18-in flume
designing and
testing coastal
3 ft flume
structures. Large
two-dimensional
wave tanks are
used to test designs
for rubble-mound
trunk armor
stability and to
quantify wave
runup,
overtopping, and
18-in and 3-ft flumes located in building 6006
transmission.
Two glass walled wave flumes are used to support research and site-specific studies. The
Specifications
flumes are both 45 m (148 ft) long and 0.91 m (3 ft) deep. One flume is 0.46 m (18 in)
wide while the other is 0.91 m (3 ft) wide. Both two-dimensional glass-walled flumes are
equipped with computer-controlled electro-hydraulic wave generators. The wave
generators are capable of creating irregular waves with a maximum wave height of 0.23 m
(0.75 ft), and wave periods of 0.50-10.0 secs. The facility includes an automated data
acquisition and control system.
Measuring overtopping rates for different structural configurations during storm conditions
Benefits
would be very difficult and expensive outside a controlled laboratory environment.
Structure cross section can be easily optimized in a scale model test. An important
tangible benefit of verifying designs in the laboratory is reduction of future maintenance
and repair costs over the structure life as well as reduced risk of failure.
The 0.46 m (18-in) and 0.91 m (3-ft) wave flumes have been used to support a wide range
Application
of projects including many site specific and generalized R&D. Rubble mounds, stepped-
seawalls, recurved seawalls, floating breakwaters, pile-supported structures and military
structures have been tested on the flumes. Wave transformation studies, blast induced
waves and tsunamis have also been modeled in the flumes.
Dr. Jeffrey A. Melby, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center,
Point of Contact
ATTN: CEERD-HN-H, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199;
e-mail: . Additional information can be
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
January 2005
Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (Facility)
www.erdc.usace.army.mil
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