TANTA UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF IRRIGATION AND HYDRAULICS ENGINEERING
Examination of master’s degree level
Course Title: Wave Hydrodynamics Course Code: CIH619
Date: 2/1/2020 Term: First 2019/2020 Time Allowed: 3 Hours
Notes:
• Any missing data should be reasonably assumed.
• Coastal and Harbor Engineering Charts and Tables are ALLOWED.
• The exam consists of Four questions in Three pages.
• Systematic arrangements of calculations and neat clear drawings are essential.

Question No. 1 (15 Marks)

A. Define: wave amplitude, wave steepness, Ursell number, frequency spectrum, significant wave
height and sea. (3 Marks)

B. Order the following heights form smallest to largest: (Hrms, Hs, Hmax, Hmean, H1/10) (2 Marks)

C. A wave has a period of 35 minutes and a height of 0.7 m at a point where the ocean has a depth of 4.8
km deep. Find the wavelength, celerity, group velocity, wave energy and wave power at that
depth. Additionally, compute wave height, celerity and length at a water depth of 20 m, accounting
for shoaling effects only, i.e. neglecting the refraction effects. (4 Marks)

D. For a specific sea state, the wave frequency spectrum obtained from a buoy is given as follows:
f (Hz) 0.04 0.05 0.07 0.09 0.1 0.12 0.17 0.25
S(f) m2. s 0 6.5 X 9 14 5 2.5 0
If the sea state consists of 1000 waves and the maximum wave height is 8 m, it required to compute:
(6 Marks)
(1) Significant wave height and the spectral density (X).
(2) Peak wave period and estimate the mean wave period
(3) Root mean squared wave height and the average wave height.
(4) Find the maximum wave height for a 1500-wave sea state.
(5) The wave height exceeded only by 4% of the waves.
(6) The probability of occurrence of waves with height equal to or less than 3.5 and 0.8 m

Question No. 2 (15 Marks)

A. Define: Fully developed sea, Prevailing wind direction, Beaufort scale, Annual largest value, wave
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hindcasting and return period. (3 Marks)

B. Using JONSWAP nomograms, it is required to complete the following table: (8 Marks)

𝑈𝐴 (m/sec) X (km) t (hours) 𝐻𝑠 (m) 𝑇𝑝 (sec) Type of generated waves
12 30 7
12 30 2
14 100 8
22 25 6
12 500 24
15 2.5
12 7
1.75 5.5

C. If the adjusted wind speed is 36 knots, find the wind friction velocity and the drag coefficient and
compute the wind speed blowing 17 m over the ocean surface. (4 Marks)
Question No. 3 (20 Marks)
A. Explain the following processes (Please draw a sketch): (5 Marks)
i- Wave shoaling, wave refraction and wave diffraction.
ii- Wave breaking and types of breakers.
B. A new harbor is planned to be designed as shown in the sketch. The area within the harbor basin is
designed and dredged to have a 5 m a constant water depth. A pier is built on piles within the
basin for mooring purposes. The wave period is 16 sec and the wave height and direction are 3.15
m and 8 degrees (N8E) at a water depth of 4 m (as shown). (15 Marks)
N

160 m

70 m A H = 3.15 m, d =4 m
230 m m d=5m
m T = 16 s,  = 8 º
B 140 m
m

It is required to:
1. Compute the wave characteristics in deep waters: H0, T, θo, Lo, Co and Cgo.
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2. Calculate the same wave characteristics at the breakwater head (point A).
3. Calculate the wave characteristics at point B (Inside the harbor). Check if the wave is in shallow
waters.
Question No. 4 (10 Marks)
A marine platform built of piles is designed and planned to moor the ships leeward it. The
considerations to design the structure are as follows:
• Wave breaking is not expected.
• Ships cannot be moored if the exceedance probability for a 1 m wave height of a sea state is
10%.
• The long-term cumulative density function at the structure is:

𝑃(𝐻𝑠 ) = 1 − 𝑒𝑥𝑝(−(1.47𝐻𝑠 )1.26 )

• Waves follow a Rayleigh distribution.
• The extreme value long term cumulative density function at the structure is:

𝐻𝑠 −3.085
𝑃𝑒𝑥 (𝐻𝑠 ) = 𝑒𝑥𝑝(−𝑒𝑥𝑝( ))
−0.851
• The piles resistance is calculated using the wave, which has probability of 2% to be exceeded
within the design sea state.
• The design sea state is defined considering a structure life cycle of 30 years and a failure
probability for the life cycle of 15%.
• The design sea state will be considered 1500 waves long with a duration of 3 hours.

It is required to:
1. Determine the platform operability (number of hours/year that the ships can be moored).
2. Calculate the significant wave height for the design sea state.
3. Calculate the wave height to be used to calculate the piles resistance.
4. Calculate the wave height to be used in the structural analysis of the platform considering that
the calculation is done with the maximum wave height of the design sea state.

End of Questions, Best Wishes

Examining Committee