IN THE

IAHR

NATIONAL

COMPUTATIONS

COMMITTEE

IN COASTAL

S. S. Strekalov

OF

THE

SOVIET

UNION

ENGINEERING

and G. N. Gvazava

UDC 627.223.4 : 006.3

In seminar C of the 12th Congress of the International Association for Hydraulic Research * entitled "Possibilities and limitations of computations in coastal engineering," six papers from four countries were presented.
These papers can be conditionally divided into three groups: 1) theoretical problems - s o l u t i o n s of hydrodynamic
equations by the use of electronic computers; 2) application of computers to the processing and analysis of mass
data from field observations; 3) computations in coastal engineering without the use of electronic computers.
An introduction to the work of the seminar was the thought-provoking report of D. McDowell (Great Britain)
"Computations in coastal engineering." McDowell discussed the prospects of applying computers to the solution of
basic equations of hydrodynamics for the case of thiee-dimensional unsteady flow under the complicated boundary
conditions of coastal hydraulics. The author concluded that the study of one-dimensional hydrodynamic problems
and a simplification of the boundary conditions cannot lead to a satisfactory description of natural phenomena.
The solution of idealized problems is only of theoretical interest. The problems of practical importance can be
solved by means of a modification of the basic equations without a distortion of their physical meaning. These
modifications are determined by the nature of the phenomenon and should be in accordance with data from field
observations. Then, the equation of motion can be integrated over the flow depth and solved by numerical methods
using computers. This method is more rational than the methods of laboratory modeling and prototype investigations. This solution can be accomplished in the very near future as it applies to the practical problems of tide and
wave propagation. The author considers the use of analog computers in the study of these problems by the method
of physical analogues to be advantageous. Concerning the investigation of sediment transport in the coastal zone,
even for the simple case of steady flow, existing relationships are unsatisfactory. In the present situation, factors
such as the effect of swell, current, variations of water level, sizes of suspended particles, and many other secondary
factors should be taken into consideration. In the author's opinion, this matter is far beyond the present level of
knowledge.
The author concludes his considerations by presenting a table which shows the extent of application of c o m puters in western countries to the solution of coastal engineering problems (as of 1967).
Solution of Hydr_.odynami_c Equations Using Computers. This topic was discussed in the papers of A. Daubert,
A. Warlnset, and A. Daubert, O. Graffe (France). The authors solved the problems of unsteady motion in breaking
sea waves and the propagation of tides in estuaries. The equations of hydrodynamics for long waves and Stoker's
theory were utilized for the construction of the mathematical model of these phenomena. The greatest difficulties
arose during the determination of the conditions at t h e w a t e r - s h o r e boundary, because this boundary changes with
time (during roll up of the breaking waves) and space (during
the propagation of tides in harbors and estuaries). The equation
integration was carried out by numerical methods utilizing
computers.

a)
h~

-0.8

form.
L

The solution of the first problem is presented in graphical

T h e multiple breaking of the waves could be seen on

the shore slope with time, as well as along the length of the
shore. The conditions of the first wave run over the shore are
distinguished from those of the subsequent waves, because of
the presence of a reverse current (Fig. 1).

b)

Fig. i. Results of computer calculation of the

problem of run up of the first "a" wave and subsequent "b" waves on the shore.

* See "G idrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel'stvo,"N o. 12 (1967).

Translated from Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel'stvo, No. 2, pp. 46-48, February, 1969.

172

173

COMPUTATIONS IN COASTAL ENGINEERING

TABLE 1. Evaluation of Methods Applied to the Solution of Specific
Problems in Coastal Engineering
Methods utilizing
computers
Prohlem
!digital
computer

analog
computer

~
~5

Sea tides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Distribution of long-period waves'
forerunners of a storm at sea . .
Tides in bays and estuaries . . . .
Currents in bays and e s t u a r i e s . .
Refraction of waves in the coastal
zone

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Coastal currents . . . . . . . . . . .
Diffraction of waves in harbors..
Sediment transport . . . . . . . . .
Breaking waves . . . . . . . . . . . .

1
2
4

2
2
4

2
3
2
4
3

3
3
2
4
4

4
2
t

1
3
8

b
b
b
b
b
a
a

Note: Evaluation of the theoretical study methods: 1 is the best, 2 is good,

3 is admissible and 4 is unsatisfactory; for field measurements: a is a good
method, b is the method which can play a major part in the solution of
the problem, and c is the method which plays a minor part in the solution
of the problem.
The procedure for modeling the phenomenon of waves
breaking on the shore was shown in a film by Daubert. A regime
with wave heights of 0.1 m, 2-see periods, and a bottom slope
of 1 : 5 was examined in the m o d e l The results of computations
conform with the data of laboratory tests. The solution of the
second problem was utilized for the calculation of tidal (ebb and
flood) conditions in the Gironde region.

fO

a9 ~
Z 7

~'srn
\

~, s,sm

r-

5,~m

E
m

a,sm

000~

0,00~

0,07

0,~

t,O

10

700

Probability%
Fig. 2. Regime function for the probability of
the maximum wave heights as output of the
"Carlson-Stromberg 4020" system. 1 is the
regression equation; 2 is the probability of
occurrence (according to field data).
h, m Frequency, years
9.5
1000
6.9
100
5.4
10
3.9
I year

Application of Computers to the Processing and Analysis

of the Mass Data from Field Observations. Speaker: J. Lepetit
(France). Computers were used for an analysis of the data from
field observations on the wave actions in the laboratory in Chatou.
The laboratory has pressure measurement instruments and transducer instruments. There were three computer programs. The
output of the "Carlson-Stromberg 4020" system is shown graphieally on 3g-ram microfilm.
The first program provides an initial analysis of the wave
record. The ordinates are the input data. The program provides
a determination of the quasi-stationary characteristics of statistical
wave actions, the heights and periods of their repetition, their
probability of occurrence, and a spectral distribution of their
energy.

The second program produces a statistical analysis of the

regime characteristics of the waves. The values of the wave
parameters are input data, which are determined by the first
program and systematized in chronological sequence according to height and period. The program also provides
a common analysis of these elements, accounting for an irregular time interval (Fig. 2).

174

S. S. STREKALOV AND G. N. GVAZAVA

The third program allows one to compute the wave says during refraction and to construct the refraction plans
of sea waves to the required scale. This program is known to Soviet experts.
S. S. Strekalov, the delegate from the Soviet Union, discnsed Lepetit's report. As a matter of information,
he described the programming of the two-dimensional spectrum of sea waves in the project of the Union Marine
Scientific Research Institute.
Computations in Coastal Hydraulics without the Use of Computers. A. Spataru (Rumania) and W. Tanner
(USA) discussed this topic. Spataru's report was devoted to an actual problem study of the bottom velocities during
irregular wave action. The author computed the bottom velocity distribution on a flat bottom and determined the
maximum velocities according to certain known functions of wave parameters, which are also found in the Soviet
Construction Standards 92-60. The results were compared with field observations and measurements of irregular
wave action in a flume.
Tanner's paper discussed computation of the wave energy in the zone of collapse. The data obtained are
highly approximate, applicable only to specific conditions, and require verification.
CONCLUSIONS
1. Computers can be efficiently utilized for mass data processing and solution of some problems in coastal
engineering. In this respect, certain successful applicatiom have been achieved in France (Chatou Laboratory).
There, programs were written and utilized on computers for the processing of observation data on wave action and
for computation of the refraction of sea waves in a coastal zone.
2. A tendency was noted toward the solution of practical problems in coastal engineering in the areas of wave
action and tides by means of the construction of m a t h e m a t i c a l models of the phenomenon. The solution is carried
out by numerical methods using computers.
3. The scope of application of computing machinery is restricted by the difficulties of obtaining a m a t h e m a t i c a l equation for the description of complicated natural phenomena (for example, sediment transport).