New Physical Insights and Design Formulas on Wave Overtopping at Sloping and Vertical Structures

AbstractMean wave overtopping discharge is a key design parameter for many coastal structures, typically designed to limit overtopping discharge to below a chosen admissible value. Dutch, German, and British design guidance from the 1990s was updated using results of research projects supported by the European Commission, and subsequently unified with the publication of the European Manual for the Assessment of Wave Overtopping, or EurOtop [EurOtop. (2007). European Manual for the Assessment of Wave Overtopping, T. Pullen, et al., eds.], now used all over the world. This paper explores five technical issues that were not well covered in the unified manual. (1) For sloping structures, overtopping at low and zero freeboard conditions: new analysis brings together the conventional exponential formulas with the few reliable datasets including very low and zero freeboard. In doing so, early Dutch work from the 1970s was revisited. Weibull-type formulas are proposed, describing wave overtopping at slopes for th...