Wave run-up and wave overtopping at dikes and revetments

This paper summarizes newly obtained results of wave run-up on and overtopping at dikes and similar structures as sloping revetments and seawalls. The contents is focussed on formulae for conceptual design. Various influences are incorporated in the formulae in the form of reduction factors. These include the influence of a berm, a shallow foreshore (depth limited waves), roughness elements on the slope and obliquely incoming waves, both short­ crested and long-crested. The wave run-up can be described as a function of the breaker parameter and reduction factors. Wave overtopping is given by two formulae, one for breaking waves, the other for non-breaking waves. In addition, a distribution is given for overtopping volumes per wave. The maximum volume of overtopping by the highest wave may be thousand times larger than the average overtopping discharge. Wave runup Introduction Dikes or revetments usually have a rather mild slope, mostly of the order of 1:2 or milder. A dike consists of a toe construction, an outer slope, often with a berm, a crest of a certain height and an inner slope, see Figure 1. The outer slope may consist of various materials such as asphalt, a revetment of concrete stones, or grass on a clay cover layer. Combinations of these are also possible . ........................ ­