Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

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Ocean Engineering
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/oceaneng

Investigating the sidewall’s effects on π-shaped floating breakwaters

interacting with water waves by the scaled boundary FEM
Meisam Qorbani Fouladi a, Farhad Bahmanpouri b, *, Shiva Rezazadeh c,
Fatemehsadat Kollolemad a, Mohamadreza Mashayekhi d, Giacomo Viccione e
a
School of Civil Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
b
Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, National Research Council (CNR), 06128, Perugia, Italy
c
Urmia University, Department of Civil Engineering, Sero Road, 5756151818, Urmia, Iran
d
School of Civil Engineering, K.N.Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
e
Environmental and Maritime Hydraulics Laboratory (LIDAM), University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084, Fisciano, Italy

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Handling Editor: Prof. A.I. Incecik The effect of the existing vertical sidewall on the hydrodynamic characteristics of a π-shaped floating breakwater
interacting with water waves in a fluid domain of finite, arbitrary water depth is analyzed. The Scaled Boundary
Keywords: Finite Element Method (SBFEM) is adopted to solve the Laplace governing equation based on the potential flow
Scaled boundary finite element method assumption in a two-dimensional vertical plane. The accuracy and efficiency of the SBFEM-based model are
(SBFEM)
evaluated by comparing the calculated results of the current model with the literature. The presence of a sidewall
π – shaped
generally produces more significant responses due to the creation of standing waves and the appearance of the
Floating breakwaters
Wave interaction problem resonance phenomenon, which synchronizes some wavelengths with the distance between the sidewall and the
Radiation problem π-shape floating structure. Furthermore, the present model accurately predicts the hydrodynamic behavior,
Diffraction problem either with sharp corners or a few elements in the solution domain.

1. Introduction breakwaters regarding the solution method. Firstly, Gesraha (2006)

employed an Eigen-function expansion matching method to investigate
The inherent merits of Floating Breakwaters, ranging from low the performance of π-shaped floating breakwaters in oblique waves. He
construction cost and applicability in deep-water areas to practicality in concluded that the additional side plates change the hydrodynamic
coastal zones with a loose seabed, give this structure distinct advantages characteristics of the main structure and reduce incident waves’ trans­
over other types of coastal protection systems. The study of the inter­ mission coefficients. Later, Cho (2016) considered porous side plates for
acting behavior of floating breakwaters in the wave field has caught the π-shaped floating breakwaters. The aforementioned studies were based
attention of academia due to their constant exposure to external pres­ on an analytical Eigen function expansion matching method. The pro­
sures, among which breaking ocean waves may be particularly severe posed method in the current research is analytical, so the validated re­
(Lee and Cho, 2003; Elchahal et al., 2006; Dong et al., 2008; Ji et al., sults are practical for specific cases and cannot be easily extended for
2015; Cheng et al., 2016, 2022a,b; Sogut et al., 2019; Cheng et al., arbitrary configurations. Additionally, it is considerably
2022a,b). Hence, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the time-consuming to apply the extracted analytical formulations to new
behavior of these structures (Zheng et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2010; Song geometries. While analytical solutions generally suffer from these de­
and Tao, 2011; Li and Lin, 2012; Lu and Wang, 2015; Ganesan and Sen, ficiencies, numerical methods can be easily applied and further devel­
2016; Badarch et al., 2020; Douglas et al., 2020). Despite emphasizing oped for new cases. Thus, for this kind of structure, establishing a
the solution methods, various configurations have been considered to validated numerical model as an efficient tool for new investigations is
enhance the hydrodynamic performance of floating breakwaters. not just important but vital.
Only a few studies have been conducted on π-shaped floating Among the various numerical methods, the Scaled Boundary Finite

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: Meisam.qorbani@ut.ac.ir (M.Q. Fouladi), farhad.bahmanpouri@irpi.cnr.it (F. Bahmanpouri), shiva.re.14@gmail.com (S. Rezazadeh), f.
kollolemad@ut.ac.ir (F. Kollolemad), m.mashayekhi@kntu.ac.ir (M. Mashayekhi), gviccion@unisa.it (G. Viccione).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.115200
Received 6 December 2022; Received in revised form 11 June 2023; Accepted 17 June 2023
Available online 28 June 2023
0029-8018/© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Element Method (SBFEM) is a novel one that merges the advantages of effects of a vertical sidewall near the breakwater in the interaction
the finite element method and the boundary element method, which has problem. To this end, two configurations are taken into account. The
been increasingly employed to solve interaction problems in infinite first configuration considers a π-shaped breakwater in an infinite fluid
solution domains. It has no restrictions in the sharp corners of the so­ domain of finite arbitrary water depth (the infinite solution domain).
lution domains and leads to an exact solution in the radial direction. The second configuration implements the same geometry near a side­
Therefore, some researchers have conducted experiments to establish wall (the semi-infinite solution domain). These two models aim to
the SBFEM-based model to simulate water wave and floating structure quantify the differences in related hydrodynamic characteristics. In
interaction problems. To solve the wave diffraction and radiation order to validate the models, a limit state case is used in which the length
problem of a rectangular floating structure located in a solution domain of the side plates tends to be zero. In practical terms, the validation
with parallel boundaries, Li et al. (2005a, 2005b) established a new model is a rectangular floating breakwater located near a sidewall.
scaled boundary coordinate system suitable for simulating the un­
bounded solution domain with a constant water depth. Based on their 2. Governing equations and boundary conditions
studies, Meng and Zou (2013) employed the described SBFEM system to
solve the problem of diffraction and radiation in a semi-infinite solution To investigate the effect of an existing sidewall on the hydrodynamic
domain. In both studies mentioned above, the analytical form of velocity behavior of a π-shaped floating breakwater, both an infinite and a semi-
was extracted on the body surface boundaries by locating the scaling infinite fluid domain are considered as the solution domain (Figs. 1 and
center on the sharp corners of structures. Despite its merits in obtaining 2). The breakwater length is assumed to be infinite, and thus, the
analytical responses, a considerable challenge has emerged. In the so­ interaction problem is simplified as a two-dimensional vertical (2DV)
lution process of these studies, different particular solutions were one. This assumption ignores wave diffraction effects from both ends of
needed. To solve this deficiency, Qorbani Fouladi et al. (2021) located the structure. B and T represent the width and draft of the breakwater,
the scaling center within the bounded subdomains, and converted the respectively, while H denotes the depth at which the breakwater is
governing equation to a homogeneous one in a scaled boundary coor­ located. Two side plates, each having a length of U, project downward
dinate system. They combined the SBFEM-based model with an artificial from each side of the bottom of the breakwater. As shown in Fig. 2, the
neural network to predict three-dimensional results based on structure is located near a sidewall in the semi-infinite solution domain.
two-dimensional simulation in the wave diffraction problem. In other The distance between the sidewall and the floating body is denoted as D.
words, their model could predict the effects of wave diffractions from The thickness of the added side plates is neglected in the analyses, as is
both ends of the rectangular floating breakwater. Qorbani Fouladi et al. the normal practice.
(2021) examined water wave-moored rectangular floating breakwater Considering the linear wave theory and assuming non-viscous fluid
interaction using an SBFEM-based model. Their study quantified and flow, the Laplace equation is the governing Equation for the problem
reported the effects of nonlinear behavior in the mooring system. The under study:
efficiency and generality of the SBFEM-based model were evaluated by
∇2 Φς = 0 (1)
Qorbani Fouladi et al. (2021) for the problem of water wave interaction
with circular-cross-section floating breakwaters. Therefore, the
where ζ = I represents the incident velocity potential, ζ = S is the
mentioned method is considered one of the most accurate and efficient
scattering velocity potential, ζ = R defines the radiation velocity po­
tools to simulate interactive problems in the sea environment. Based on
tential, and ζ = T denotes the total velocity potential (ΦT = ΦI + ΦS +
previous developments of SBFEM-based models, Qorbani Fouladi et al.
ΦR ). It should be noted that the velocity potential (Φ) can be separated
(2022) investigated a Scaled Boundary FEM-based model for solving
into time and space variables as follows:
wave interaction with π-shape Floating Breakwaters in the infinite so­
lution domain. Their research aimed to examine the accuracy and effi­ Φ(x, z, t) = Real(φ(x, z, t)exp(− iωt)) (2)
ciency of the method for use in solution domains with a sharp corner,
Also, it is worth bearing in mind that the radiation velocity potential
which is one of the main challenges of conventional numerical methods.
can be taken into account as follows:
The present study aims to further specify the hydrodynamic behavior
of π-shaped floating breakwaters in linear water wave domain by ∑
3

employing a validated SBFEM-based model to examine the induced φR = sj φj (3)

j=1

Fig. 1. 2DV definition of the wave interaction with a π-shaped floating breakwater in an infinite fluid domain.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Fig. 2. 2DV definition of the wave interaction with a π -shaped floating breakwater in a semi-infinite fluid domain.

sj is the amplitude of the j th mode of motion, representing heave, 3. Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method
surge, and pitch motions, respectively. Eventually, the boundary con­
ditions to define the solution domain can be considered as follows: 3.1. Formulation for bounded sub-domains

∂φ ω2
= φ at the free surface (z = 0) (4) As mentioned earlier, the Laplace equation and the relevant
∂z g boundary conditions are solved in the present study by employing the
SBFEM method. The velocity potential is analytically extracted along the
∂φ
= 0 at the sea bottom (z = − H) (5) radial direction, while numerical attitude is applied to calculate the
∂z
potential values on non-node points. As a result, only the exterior
∂φ boundaries of each subdomain, S, are discretized in the SBFEM. As
= vn on the solid surface (6) demonstrated in Fig. 3, the Cartesian coordinate system is converted to
∂z
the scaled boundary system to derive the governing Equation in the
where vn denotes a normal velocity on any solid surface. scaled boundary coordinate system. The radial coordinate changes from

Fig. 3. Definition sketch of establishing scaled boundary coordinate system.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

zero at the scaling center to 1 on the exterior boundaries in the coor­

{χ (ξ)},ξ = [Z]{χ (ξ)} (17)
dinate system. Also, for any element, the circumferential coordinate, s,
varies from − 1 to +1. Furthermore, to meet the requirements of locating
where [Z] is the Hamilton matrix. The relations between {a(ξ)} and
scaling centers in the SBFEM, the whole solution domain is divided into
{q(ξ)} are extracted by solving the standard Eigen-value problems as:
three bounded (Ω2 , Ω3 , and Ω4 ) and two unbounded (Ω1 and Ω5 )
[ ]
subdomains. {q(ξ)} = H b {a(ξ)} (18)
The position of any point within a bounded sub-domain ( ̂x, ̂
y ), can be
described by: {q(ξ)} = [H ∞ ]{a(ξ)} (19)
x = x0 + ξ[N(s)]{x}
̂ (7)
where [Hb ] and [H∞ ] are defined as stiffness matrices for bounded and
y = y0 + ξ[N(s)]{y}
̂ (8) unbounded sub-domains, respectively. Taking into consideration the
matching conditions at the interfaces between the adjacent sub-domains
where {x} and {y} are the Cartesian coordinates of the nodes that form a as:
sector containing the stated point by being connected to the scaling φn = φn+1 , at the interface between sub − domains (20)
center. [N(s)] is the shape functions. It worth mentioning by applying the
scaling coordinate, ξ, any arbitrary point within the domain is a linear /
∂φn/∂n = − ∂φn+1 ∂n, at the interface between sub − domains (21)
function of a point on the boundary S. In the same way, the velocity
potential at any arbitrary point on a sector can be expressed with the
and combining these conditions with stiffness matrices, the sub-domains
nodes’ potential values as:
can be assembled. once the nodal potentials are extracted, the nodal
φ(ξ, s) = [N(s)]{a(ξ)} (9) potential, wave pressure, and subsequently the exciting forces and hy­
drodynamic coefficients can be calculated.
Here, {a(ξ)} is the potential function along the lines connecting the
scaling center to the nodes. The derived equations in terms of the po­ 4. Equations of motion
tential function {a(ξ)} and node flow function in the scaled boundary
coordinate system can be expressed as: The equations of motion can be expressed as follows:
( ) [ ( ) ( )]
[E0 ]ξ2 {a(ξ)},ξξ + [E0 ] + [E1 ]T − [E1 ] ξ{a(ξ)},ξ − [E2 ]{a(ξ)} = 0 (10) − ω2 mij + μij − iωλij + cij Ξi = Fi (i, j = 1, 2, 3) (22)

{q(ξ)} = [E0 ]ξ{a(ξ)},ξ + [E1 ]T {a(ξ)} (11) where i,j = 1 is related to the heave, i,j = 2 is denotes the surge, and i,j =
3 defines the pitch movements of the floating breakwater. Ξi represents
More details about the parameters employed in the above Equations the amplitude of the motion vector, Fi depicts the vector of wave exciting
have already been explained in Fouladi et al. (2021). force. mij , cij , λij and μij are the mass, hydrostatic stiffness, damping and
added mass matrices, respectively. The frame-work developed for the
3.2. Solution for the unbounded sub-domains solution process is outlined in Fig. 4.

By employing a modified scaled boundary coordinate system with 5. Results and discussion
the scaling center on the interface of bounded and unbounded sub-
domains, the s coordinate is along the mentioned interface boundary The results are categorized into three subsequent subsections. First,
(defining curve) and ξ is parallel to the bottom and to side faces and the values of exciting wave forces are calculated for the diffraction
towards infinity. Thus, ξ is zero at the interface boundaries Γint1 or Γint4 problem in section 5.1. Afterward, the added mass and radiation-
and infinity at Γ∞ . To transform the Cartesian to modified scaled damping coefficients are evaluated for the radiation problem in Sec­
boundary coordinate system, the position of an arbitrary point within tion 5.2. Eventually, the response amplitude operators (RAOs) values
the considered sub-domain should be stated as: are discussed in Section 5.3. In each step, two series of geometries are
considered to investigate the effects of the sidewall on the hydrody­
x = [N(s)]{x} + ξ
̂ (12)
namic behavior of π-shaped floating structures. The first and second
y = [N(s)]{y}
̂ (13) domains are the semi-infinite and the infinite solution domains. The first
configuration studies a π-shaped breakwater near a sidewall, while the
Following Fouladi et al. (2021), the governing equations are derived second geometry is related to the same π-shaped structure in an infinite
as follows: solution domain. Furthermore, three different lengths are assumed for
( ) ( 2 ) the side plates in each configuration (UT = 13, UT = 23 and UT = 1.0).
[E0 ]{a(ξ)},ξξ + [E1 ]T − [E1 ] {a(ξ)},ξ + k [M0 ] − [E2 ] {a(ξ)} = 0 (14)
A limit geometry of a π-shaped floating breakwater is considered to
validate the established model. This configuration is created by tending
{q(ξ)} = [E0 ]{a(ξ)},ξ + [E1 ]T {a(ξ)} (15) the side plates’ length to zero (U→0). Consequently, π-shaped floating
breakwater converts to a rectangular cross-section body. The results of
3.3. Solution process simulations are compared with the reported ones of a rectangular
floating structure, without side plates, near the sidewall. HB = 3.0, HT =
In order to solve the governing equations, the derived SBFEM-formed 0.4 and HD = 0.2 are explored for the floating body. Hence, a total of
equations are turned to standard eigenvalue problems. For bounded sub- seven geometric models are considered.
{ }
a(ξ)
domains, by introducing the new variable {χ (ξ)} = and
q(ξ) 5.1. Diffraction problem
combining with Equation (11), Equation (10) modified as follows:
ξ{χ (ξ)},ξ = [Z]{χ (ξ)} (16) In order to evaluate the exciting wave forces, the proposed SBFEM-
based model is employed for the wave diffraction problem. The wave-
In the same way, in unbounded subdomains, Equation (14) is induced loads caused by the incident wave on the stationary structure
transformed by utilizing Equation (15) and {χ (ξ)} as: in the k-direction are calculated according to the following equation:

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Fig. 4. The SBFEM-based solution frame-work developed in the current study.

Fig. 5. Dimensionless wave forces for π- shaped MFB in the X-direction in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

∫
effectiveness and acts like a seagull floating up and down with the waves
Fk = iωρ (ΦI + ΦS )nk ds (23)
with little effect on the wave domain. Furthermore, in both series of
diagrams, within the range of KB 2 ≥ 1.5, a meaningful convergence can be
s0

where nk is the generalized normal with n1 = nz , n2 = nx and n3 = (z − seen towards a fixed amount. The range indicates waves with short
z0 )nx − (x − x0 )nz . (x0 , z0 ) represents the center of rotation and ρ de­ wavelengths in which the breakwater also demonstrates no considerable
notes the fluid density. The integral in equation. (12) is defined over effect.
wetted surface area of the structure s0 and, finally, Fk is the force in the In terms of the fZ force, in the case of the structures with the sidewall
k-direction. Except for the bottom of the structure which is discretized and side plates, when the surge and pitch modes resonate, the fZ expe­
by four elements, the considered mesh consists of two numbers of three- riences a dramaticdrop. Hence, in the range of 0.5 ≤ KB 2 ≤ 1.0, the value
node quadratic elements at each boundary. Therefore, the bounded sub- of forces in the semi-infinite case is smaller than the infinite case. The
domain is discretized by 30 elements. In addition, each unbounded sub- reason is that in the semi-infinite solution domain, the fluid seeks to
domain is assigned two elements. maximize the force in the X-direction and moment in this range. The
The components of non-dimensional forces are analyzed from the higher the length of the side plate, the higher the value of the vertical
current SBFEM-based for 100 different frequencies for each structure, as forces. When the sidewall is not taken into account in the solution
depicted in Figs. 5–7. The dimensionless forces are calculated by fx or z = domain, the resonance effect is eliminated from the structure’s behavior.
Fx or z /ρgA′B and M = F3 /0.5ρgA′B2 . In extremely long wavelengths, the value of forces in the case of the
As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, for the structure without side plates and existing sidewall is approximately twice as large as the condition
near a sidewall, there is a good agreement between the SBFEM-based without the sidewall. This is due to the creation of standing waves
results and numerical values reported in previous studies, approving resulting from the complete reflection of incident waves from the side­
the accuracy of the proposed SBFEM method. For this type of structure, wall. Moreover, for shorter wavelengths, all graphs are completely co­
the exciting wave forces witness a sudden change within the range 0.5 ≤ ordinated, indicating that the interactive behavior of the structure and
KB the wave is ineffective. Dai et al. (2018) reported similar findings based
2 ≤ 1.0. Two peaks are observed in the fX and the M diagrams. Within
on a comprehensive study of different types of floating breakwaters.
this range, however, initially, an abrupt rise followed by a sharp fall can
As concern of the results related to the moment applied to the
be seen for fZ force. This change is due to synchronization between the
structure, it is observed that without the side plates, M is higher. This is
incident wavelength and the clearance between the structure and the
because the existence of the side plates beneath the structure limits the
sidewall. Hence, a resonating reaction occurs in these wavelengths.
fluid’s movement and reduces the structure’s rotation tendency. In the
Some important points should be mentioned about the fX . First, by
case of the existing sidewall, owing the strong coupling of pitch and
adding the side plates to the floating structure near a sidewall, the
surge, the moments also experience their peaks at the frequency where
maximum force applied to the body has considerably increased. Second,
the surge has reached its maximum. Overall, the SBFEM-based model
the magnitude of this force increases with the length of the side plates.
has successfully predicted the above phenomena with minimal elements
The rise is mainly due to the increase in the surface exposed to a toler­
and high precision.
ating load. In addition, adding these plates can disturb the incident
waves, resulting in resonance occurring in larger wavelengths with
higher wave energy. Dong et al. (2008) reported similar findings for
5.2. Radiation problem
different floating breakwaters based on dimension.
In contrast, different behaviour for fx can be observed when no
In order to estimate the values of added mass and radiation damping,
sidewalls are considered (infinite solution domain). The resonance
the radiation problem is studied. The hydrodynamic forces applied to
phenomenon is not observable in this condition, since no wall or exterior
the structure due to forced displacements of the structure in three modes
factor is present to create the resonance. However, in the range of 0.0 ≤
KB
in calm water can be defined as:
2 ≤ 0.5 a maximum value for fx is observable, meaning the mentioned ∫
breakwater has had the best function against the waves. Fwj = iωρ (Φw )nj ds (24)
It can be mutually seen in both semi-infinite and infinite solution s0
domains that, for KB 2 ≈ 0 the value of fX is approximately zero. This
condition highlights long wavelengths in which the structure has lost its where Fwj is the force along j-direction caused by different modes of

Fig. 6. Dimensionless wave forces for π- shaped MFB in the Z-direction in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Fig. 7. Dimensionless wave moment for π - shaped MFB in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

movements (w = 1 for heave, w = 2 for surge, and w = 3 is related to present research results with those of Meng and Zou (2013) indicates
rotational movement). The added mass, μwj and radiation damping co­ that this model is effective and precise in determining the hydrodynamic
efficients, λwj can be calculated using the following equations: coefficients when the length of the side plates approaches zero (Fig. 8).
The graphs related to the heave movement mode, highlight some
1 ( )
μjw = − Re Fwj (25) important points. Figs. 8 and 9 show that the added mass and damping
ω2 coefficients are higher without side plates. This difference can be
1 ( ) explained by the fact that, in the absence of side plates and with forced
λwj = − Im Fwj (26) displacement in the vertical direction, larger waves are radiated to the
ω
far field of the structure. The side plates, being located on both sides of
Alternatively, the dimensionless added mass and damping co­ the structure, enclose the fluid under the structure, resulting in a shorter
efficients Cawj and Cdwj are given by: wave amplitude of radiation waves. However, this comparison is valid
1 ( ) only for the cases with and without side plates. As the length of the side
Ca wj = − Re Fwj (27) plates increases, the amount of fluid affected in the surrounding areas of
ω2 BTs
the structure also increases, resulting in higher response values for
Cdwj = −
1 ( )
Im Fwj (28) structures with longer side plates when compared to those with shorter
ω2 BTs ones. As seen in Figs. 8 and 9, in terms of KB 2 ≥ 1.5, these coefficients
have become convergent to determined amounts. The damping coeffi­
being B*T the displaced fluid volume, and s the amplitude of the forced
cient value in the range is almost zero since, with the excitement of the
displacement in the radiation problem.
structure with high frequency, no wave would radiate to the sides of the
In the diffraction problem of the π-shaped floating breakwater under
structure.
study, the aforementioned coefficients are extracted and compared with
As far as the surge mode is concerned, similar to the heave move­
the numerical ones for each mode of motion. The comparison of the
ment, the hydrodynamic coefficients in the condition without the side

Fig. 8. Dimensionless added mass coefficient in the Heave motion in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Fig. 9. Dimensionless radiation damping coefficient in the Heave motion in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

plates are larger than the condition with them. However, in general, mentioning that there is no significant damping coefficient in terms of
these coefficients in terms of the surge mode are much larger than the the long and short frequency. Deng et al. (2019) conducted a numerical
coefficients in the heave mode since the side plates are designed study on a T-shaped floating breakwater. They reported that an increase
perpendicular to the surge mode and excite the fluid more significantly. in the screen’s height increases added masses and damping coefficients,
With regards to the existing sidewall, in the frequency at which the which in turn affects the resonance frequency.
wavelength and the structure clearance are synchronized, a sudden rise In resonance frequency, adjacent to the sidewall, the structure tends
in damping and an abrupt decline in the added mass can be observed, to dissipate energy by wave radiation rather than accelerating the fluid
which shows a tendency to dissipate energy in the form of radiation particles, creating added mass because the creation of waves compare to
rather than acceleration of the particles around the structure (Figs. 10 accelerating fluid particles happens in shorter time frames which is
and 11). The reason is rooted in the assumption that the quay wall is compatible with the nature of resonance behavior (Zhang et al., 2020;
fully reflected during the modeling process. Hence, the waves are re­ Zhao et al., 2021).
flected into the solution domain when they interact with the wall Figs. 14 and 15 show the interaction of strong movements of pitch
without dissipating their energy. Standing waves are formed when the and surge. As in the case of the high and low frequencies, the radiation
wavelength of the waves passing through the structure is proportional to wave amplitude of both pitch and surge are zero; the interactive effect of
the distance between the structure and the wall. As a result of these these two modes follows suit and is approximately zero. The resonance
enhanced waves, more hydrodynamic effects are created. In shorter frequency range in the interactive mode is the same range as the reso­
wavelengths, the damping and added mass tend to zero as, in high fre­ nance frequency of each pitch and surge. Based on a numerical simu­
quencies, the excitement of the fluid by the structure is negligible. A lation, Cheng et al. (2022a,b) discussed similar findings on a different
similar concept was reported by Bahmanpouri et al. (2020) and π-type floating breakwater.
Khoshkones et al. (2022) regarding the propagation of waves induced by
dam breaks. 5.3. Full interaction between wave and floating breakwater
As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, in the pitch mode, the hydrodynamic
coefficients are significantly higher when the side plates are present near Based on previous steps, the hydrodynamics forces exerted on the
the sidewall, similar to other modes of movement. Furthermore, for both structure by fluid domains are calculated and verified. This section
the semi-infinite and infinite solution domain conditions, the co­ presents and discusses the interactive response of the moored structure.
efficients increase with the length of the side plates. It is worth Regarding equation (22), by estimating the amplitudes of the structure’s

Fig. 10. Dimensionless added mass coefficient in the sway motion in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Fig. 11. Dimensionless radiation damping coefficient in the sway motion in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

Fig. 12. Dimensionless added mass coefficient in the roll motion in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

Fig. 13. Dimensionless radiation damping coefficient in the roll motion in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Fig. 14. Dimensionless added mass coefficient in the sway/roll interactive movements in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

Fig. 15. Dimensionless radiation damping coefficient in the sway/roll interactive movements in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side
plate lengths.

movements, the Responses of Amplified Operators (RAOs) for the heave, Fig. 16 shows the RAO of the heave movement, which exhibits
surge, and pitch motions can be obtained by applying the presented different behavior depending on either the presence or absence of the
SBFEM-based model. sidewall. In the absence of the sidewall, there is evidence of one peak.

Fig. 16. Comparison of RAOs in heave as a function of normalized wave frequencies in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Conversely, when the sidewall is present, two peaks are observed, with 6. Conclusion
the second one being more significant than the first. In this condition,
with the decrease in the incident wavelength, RAO tends to show a In this study, the SBFEM is used to investigate the effects of a sidewall
behavior similar to the condition when the sidewall is absent, but this is on the hydrodynamic behavior of a π -shaped floating breakwater
accompanied by a second large peak as a result of the wavelengths interacting with water waves. To validate the SBFEM-based model, a
reaching the length which can be synchronized with the structure limited state configuration is studied, and the wave forces and co­
clearance. In the range of very long wavelengths, the value of RAO for efficients are compared with numerical values reported in the literature.
the semi-infinite domain is almost twice as large as the infinite domain The confirmed model is then used to evaluate the hydrodynamic forces
due to the creation of standing waves. Conversely, for the case of and to establish motion equations. The following conclusions are drawn
extremely short wavelengths, the value of RAO is almost zero in both from the results:
configurations, indicating negligible wave excitement.
In Fig. 17, the presence or absence of the sidewall has resulted in 1. In the diffraction problem:
different behaviors. In the infinite solution domain conditions, high- a. In general, there is excellent agreement between the calculated
wavelength waves tend to carry the structure to a large distance. results in the present study and those reported in the literature for
However, in the case of the existence of the sidewall, these waves show a the benchmark model. Therefore, this comparison serves as proof
much lower tendency to move the structure in the X-direction by of the accuracy and efficiency of the established model.
reflecting off the sidewall. In both configurations, in high-frequency b. The presence of the sidewall leads to the generation of standing
conditions, the potential tendency of the waves to carry the structure waves, resulting in more significant exciting wave forces
in the X-direction is extremely low. compared to the extracted responses in the infinite solution
Fig. 18 compares the RAOs in pitch mode as a function of normalized domain.
wave frequencies in both semi-infinite and infinite fluid domains with c. The sudden extreme values in the semi-infinite domain are due to
different side plate lengths. The behavior observed in this case is the synchronization of some standing wavelengths with the dis­
different from the previous modes. In general, the RAO value is smaller tance between the sidewall and the floating structure, resulting in
in this condition, as the existence of the side plates restricts the struc­ the resonance phenomenon.
ture’s rotation. Since the hydrodynamic coefficients and forces tend to d. The strong coupling between the surge and the pitch movements
fixed values in short wavelengths, the RAO value in these wavelengths as resonance takes place, results in these wave excitation forces,
also tends to be fixed values. Deng et al. (2019) reported a similar reaching their maximum value simultaneously. Meanwhile, a se­
finding for the π-shaped floating breakwater, where the RAO value vere drop occurred in the vertical force. This is because of the
decreased when the vertical screen was mounted near the two ends of tendency of the fluid to mainly exert horizontal and rotational
the upper box. forces rather than the vertical ones.
To complete the study, the effect of the side plates on the trans­ 2. In the case of radiation problem:
mission coefficient of the floating breakwater was investigated. For a e. The addition of side plates forces the fluid to stay confined
structure with HB = 1.0, HT = 0.25, and different values of 2U
B , the coeffi­
beneath the structure. Therefore, in general, the amplitude of
cient is shown in Fig. 19. radiated waves around the structure and the amplitude of exci­
As can be seen from the diagram, the coefficient has been reduced as tation of fluid particles surrounding the structure are more sig­
a result of the addition of the side plates. Furthermore, the performance nificant in the case of a rectangular structure (i.e., without side
of the floating breakwater is improving as well. There is a limited range plates). Hence, the size of the added mass and the damping co­
of frequencies in which this process is reversed. There is a significant efficients of the rectangular structure are larger than the π-shaped
correlation between the breakwater width and the incident wavelength structure. In other words, the magnitude of the radiation forces in
in this frequency range of incident waves. Consequently, standing waves the case of a rectangular structure is larger than those related to
are caused between the side plates as a result of this. π -shaped ones.
f. Similarly to the diffraction problem mode, the occurrence of
standing waves and the formation of resonance phenomena make
the value of the hydrodynamic coefficients generally more

Fig. 17. Comparison of RAOs in sway as a function of normalized wave frequencies in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

Fig. 18. Comparison of RAOs in roll as a function of normalized wave frequencies in a semi-infinite and an infinite fluid domain with different side plate lengths.

Fig. 19. Transmission coefficients for a rectangular and π-shaped floating breakwaters.

considerable in the semi-infinite domain mode than in the infinite be conducted on the geometrical effects of side walls (size and space) on
mode. breakwater wave transmission coefficients.
3. By superposing diffraction and reduction issues:
g. The amplitude of heave motion is more significant in the semi- CRediT authorship contribution statement
infinite solution domain affected by standing wave generation.
h. In terms of surge motion, the amplitude of the structure’s motion Meisam Qorbani Fouladi: Conceptualization, Investigation, Meth­
in the infinite solution domain is greater than in the semi-infinite odology, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft. Farhad Bahman­
domain at long wavelengths. This is due to the reflection of waves pouri: Investigation, Visualization, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing
from the vertical wall, which reduces the tendency of the fluid to – original draft. Shiva Rezazadeh: Visualization, Formal analysis,
move the object horizontally. Overall, the amplitude of the surge Writing – review & editing. Fatemehsadat Kollolemad: Formal anal­
motion is lower than that of the heave motion. ysis, Writing – review & editing. Mohamadreza Mashayekhi: Formal
4. The results confirm that the proposed SBFEM model is highly effec­ analysis, Writing – review & editing. Giacomo Viccione: Validation,
tive in predicting the aforementioned phenomena. Furthermore, it Visualization, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing.
can perform the intended tasks as a robust, flexible, and reliable
model in complex configurations with sharp edges using a minimum Declaration of competing interest
number of elements.
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
This study focuses on the effect of the quay wall on the hydrody­ interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
namic coefficients of a π-shaped floating breakwater. The effects of the work reported in this paper.
synchronization between the wavelength and the structure width
(limited by two side plates), as well as the structure’s distance from the
quay wall, should be further investigated. Parametric studies should also

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M.Q. Fouladi et al. Ocean Engineering 284 (2023) 115200

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Impervious rigid wave boards. Appl. Ocean Res. 28, 327–338. https://doi.org/
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Data will be made available on request. Ji, C.Y., Chen, X., Cui, J., Yuan, Z.M., Incecik, A., 2015. Experimental study of a new type
of floating breakwater. Ocean Eng. 105, 295–303.
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