Experimental and numerical investigations on zigzag porous screen breakwater

Pile supported porous breakwaters are commonly adopted for shielding small-scale harbors, such as marinas, fishing harbors, and recreational harbors from external waves. To improve efficiency of such breakwaters, attempts have been made to provide a filter screen containing porous material. Possible alternative to the existing pile supported screen breakwaters is the zigzag breakwater. This article details on the numerical and experimental investigations carried out on the performance of zigzag porous screen breakwater. Results related to the wave amplification in front of the structure, wave reflection, and transmission, forces exerted by the waves on the structure are discussed. The studies clearly indicate that the transmission coefficient of the order of 0.5 can be achieved for Hi/ gT2 > 0.008 for 50% submergence, whereas the reflection coefficient can be effectively reduced to 0.2. Reduction in wave force is of the order of 50% which is primarily due to reduction in reflection coefficient. Substantial reduction in wave force contributes directly to reduction in the cost of construction of the breakwater, a definite advantage over other similar breakwaters. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008.