Experimental and Numerical Validation of Three-Dimensional Tsunami Wave Pressures and Forces on an Elevated Structur

The implementation of evacuation structures was proven to be an effective means of tsunami evacuation during the 2011 tsunami in Japan. However, there is currently a lack of experimental and numerical work concerning the three-dimensional interaction of tsunamis and elevated structures. To date experimental work has focused on structures on grade while the numerical work has primary focused on model validation by way of simplistic force comparison. The focus of this work is to examine three-dimensional tsunami-like wave pressure distributions on an elevated structure, and numerically validate the localized pressure results and corresponding loading time histories. This was accomplished through large scale experimental tests and an accompanying numerical model in which an elevated structure was inundated by a tsunami-like wave at two different states: an unbroken wave and a broken bore. Results showed trends in the unbroken and broken wave pressure distributions. The unbroken wave resembled a linear distribution, comparable to hydrostatic loading at points of inundation. The impulsive broken turbulent bore was best represented by a quadratic curve. Using a computational fluid dynamics software package, the experimental tests were validated numerically. A locally validated numerical model will allow future researchers the flexibility to perform studies not feasible by experimentation.