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Hydraulic design of coastal structures: inventing the world on a small scale
Willems, M. (2007). Hydraulic design of coastal structures: inventing the world on a small scale, in: Mees, J. et al. (Ed.) VLIZ Young Scientists' Day, Brugge, Belgium 2 March 2007: book of abstracts. VLIZ Special Publication, 39: pp. 13
In: Mees, J.; Seys, J. (Ed.) (2007). VLIZ Young Scientists' Day, Brugge, Belgium 2 March 2007: book of abstracts. VLIZ Special Publication, 39. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. IX, 82 pp., more
In: VLIZ Special Publication. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. ISSN 1377-0950, more

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Document type: Summary

Keywords
    Design
    Engineering > Coastal engineering
    Models > Scale models
    Structures > Hydraulic structures > Coastal structures
    Marine/Coastal

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Abstract
    The hydraulic design of coastal structures is a complex task. Physical models are employed as design tools in almost all major coastal engineering projects . Design physical models have the goal of attempting to predict prototype behaviour by reproducing as good as possible all the features and forces of an actual prototype situation (e.g. breakwater stability, wave penetration in harbours). Physical models can also be used to study a physical process in detail in order to develop new understanding about the physics (e.g. flow or wave forces on piles). Besides, physical models are applied to verify or extend numerical models. These validation models may not resemble anything in the real world because often they are idealized and simplified to minimize scale effects and to provide a test case that mare closely fits the assumptions of numerical models (e.g. rectangular harbour with perfectly reflecting vertical side walls). In the oral presentation the different goals and types of physical models will be presented. Advantages, disadvantages and complementary design tools (field measurements and numerical models) will be discussed briefly. A number of photos of physical models and videos of model tests will illustrate the possibilities of physical modelling.

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