Irregular wave attenuation and mud mass transport

The major aspects of interactive effects between irregular waves and a soft muddy bed, i.e. wave height attenuation and mud mass transport, are examined using numerical simulation and laboratory experiments. The irregular waves are simulated by spectral calculation method and joint distribution of wave height and wave period. The possibility of applying the representative wave method is also examined. The constitutive equations of visco-elastic-plastic model are selected for the complex rheological behavior of fluid mud. A series of wave flume experiments have been performed to obtain the required data for the verification of the numerical model. The results of the numerical model are also compared with the laboratory data of Zhang and Zhao [1999]. It is concluded that both wave spectra modeling and individual wave analysis are capable to simulate the interactive effects between irregular waves and fluid mud. The wave energy dissipation can also be simulated by using common representative waves. However, mean wave is the only representative wave that offers an acceptable approximation for the prediction of mud mass transport.