Numerical study on the wave attenuation efficiency of rhombicuboctahedron modular floating breakwater
Date
2026Author
Mohammed K, S.
Arunakumar, H.S.
Jayakumar, S.
Kumar, A.
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The dynamic forces of the ocean are essential for sustaining marine ecosystems but pose significant challenges to coastal infrastructure. Conventional fixed breakwaters often face issues such as structural complexity, high maintenance, and environmental disruption, whereas floating breakwaters offer a flexible, easily deployable, and environmentally friendly alternative. In this study, the numerical model is first validated against experimental data for a conventional floating breakwater to ensure reliability in simulating the floating structures. After validation, the proposed RhombicubOctahedron Modular Floating Breakwater (RMFB) modelled using the open-source CFD tool REEF3D. Each MFB module is a RhombicubOctahedron with integrated cavities to enhance wave energy dissipation. Hydrodynamic performance, mooring forces, and Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs) are evaluated for two arrangements: monolayer (Case M1) and prismatic configuration (Case P1). Simulations are conducted for wave periods of 1.4 2.6 s and wave heights of 0.08 0.16 m at a water depth of 0.40 m. The results show that the wave transmission (Kt), reflection (Kr) and dissipation (Kd) coefficients vary with wave steepness and configuration. For wave steepness 0.0012 to 0.0062, the prismatic configuration (Case P1) shows improved performance compared to the monolayer model (Case M1), with 6 9% lower transmission and 13 50% higher dissipation. With increasing steepness, Kt decreases from 0.84 to 0.785, while Kr increases from 0.115 to 0.18 and Kd from 0.51 to 0.59, indicating enhanced wave energy attenuation. Mooring forces also increase with wave steepness, reaching 123% higher seaward forces in M1 and 91% higher leeward forces in P1, demonstrating improved load redistribution in the stacked configuration. The overall hydrodynamic performance of the proposed RMFB is comparable with other floating breakwater systems, indicating its suitability for coastal protection applications requiring moderate wave attenuation.
URI
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10236-026-01803-w#citeashttp://drs.nio.res.in/drs/handle/2264/9659
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