Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NSF NHERI 2024: Vertical Pressure Distribution of Tsunami-like Wave Impact on an Impervious Column

The purpose of this paper is to further understand the forces that tsunami waves exert on coastal structures and the subsequent scour that occurs in the surrounding sediment bed, as this is often the main source of failure during or following a tsunami event. Due to the inherent gap in tsunami research caused by the difficulty of scaled experimentation as well as the danger and unpredictability of field data collection, there is a knowledge gap in scour mechanisms. Understanding scour allows the development of new protections and modification of existing coastal structures to boost overall resiliency in susceptible communities. In this study the impact of waves on a structural column was experimentally evaluated and compared based on varying wave heights. This project is unique in the fact that it is a large scale representation of a square cross-section structure. Many studies focus on cylindrical structures, however scour interacts differently with sharp corners. The ultimate goal of the project is to create public domain data regarding scour interactions in an effort to provide resources to coastal communities. The pressure data evaluated in this paper can be further studied in combination with the multiple data types collected during experimentation in order to fully understand the relationship between force of wave impact, scour mechanisms, and potential foundation failure.