A Computational Tool to Determine the Forces Generated by Waves on Piles

Abstract

This paper presents the development of a computational software tool for the determination of the forces generated by the passage of waves on piles, with the objective of disseminating instructive knowledge, or assisting in the design process of such structure, commonly found in port regions. This tool is built through the use of a free, open-source and easy-to-assimilate computational language. To make this software more intuitive, a graphical interface is designed to illustrate the results obtained. To obtain these results, the present work is based on the methodology adopted by Mason [1], which makes use of Morison’s formula that is commonly present in the literature, and also adopted by the Spanish standard (ROM2.0-11). This work differs from the methodology adopted by Mason in what concerns the determination of the incident wave length on the pile. Here, a numerical solver is used for the solution of the dispersion relation, avoiding the need to verify the wave propagation regime. The results found reinforce the importance of using computational tools in the study or practice of engineering, providing greater precision and agility in performing complex calculations.