Progression of Wave Breaker Types on a Plane Impermeable Slope, Depending on Experimental Design

The objective of this research was to analyze the progression of breaker types on plane impermeable slopes. This study used dimensional analysis to demonstrate the relative water depth is a key explanatory quantity. The dominant breaker types depend on the incident wave characteristics at the foot of the slope. Accordingly, it is possible to combine values of H, T, and m. The physical experiments of Galvin, recent numerical results, and new experiments, performed on an impermeable 1:10 slope, were used to verify the result. It was thus possible to obtain the progression of breaker types in different sequences of pairs of combined wave H and T values. Once a sequence is defined, the expected progression of breaker types is predictable, and is well approximated by the log‐transform of the alternate similarity parameter. Since the classification of breaker types is discontinuous, the data assigned to each type were placed in horizontal lines, based on the value of log(χ). Given that the breaking of a wave train on a slope should be considered a continuous process, the location of some data was corrected to satisfy this assumption. There is thus a functional relationship between the sets of the experimental space and of the breaker types. This research also derives the non‐dimensional energy dissipation on the slope, considering the wave‐reflected energy flux on the slope. It is proportional to a dimensionless bulk dissipation coefficient which depends on the breaker type and, therefore, on the value of χ at the toe of the slope. Plain Language Summary The main objective of this research was to analyze the progression of breaker types on a plane impermeable slope. This study used dimensional analysis to demonstrate that the relative water depth is a key explanatory quantity. The dominant breaker types depend on the incident wave characteristics at the foot of the slope, h/L, and H/L, and also on the slope, m. Accordingly, different combinations of these three parameters can be made. Data from different data sets performed on an impermeable slope with a 1:10 slope angle were used to verify that result. After several analyses of different experimental techniques, it can be concluded that there is a functional relationship between the sets of the experimental space and the breaker types. Key Points The progression of breaker types depends on the slope and the wave characteristics at the toe of the slope. It is predictable There is a functional relationship betwee