NumSiSSI

Estuaries, Rivers and artificial waterways are subject to multiple demands. Not only do they form vulnerable natural habitats, which are used for recreational purposes, but are also intensely used as international trade routes contributing to economic development of the connected regions. Transport of goods on waterways is expected to intensify in the upcoming years resulting in increasing loads acting on the embankments of waterways. Precise determination of the generated waveforces is hence required, to allow for a cost-efficient and location-specific design in this zone of conflicting interests. In the past, erosion processes could be observed particularly on groynes. Up to now, design has mainly been driven by empirical methods lacking in flexibility regarding the examination of varying configurations of the waterway’s hydraulic regime, different ship parameters and the realization of embankment protection measures.

The objective of the project NumSiSSI (Numerical Simulation of Shipwave-Structure-Interaction)  is to develop numerical methods covering the complete process cascade from wave generation, their propagation and the interaction with the waterway’s embankment. The emphasis is on promoting a tool for the application in practical design considerations of structures exposed to ship waves, balancing the computational demand and accuracy by prioritizing the relevant processes. The project is realized in close collaboration with the Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW), providing the possibility to continuously synchronize the numerical advancements with existing experimental and field data.