Debris impact under extreme hydrodynamic conditions part 2: Impact force responses for non-rigid debris collisions

Historical tsunami events have resulted in extreme damage to coastal regions worldwide. Among the various loads associated with tsunami waves, debris impact has been shown to cause major damage to nearshore infrastructure. As a result, debris impact loads have been included prominently in existing design guidelines and standards, such as the FEMA P-646 [11] and ASCE7 Chapter 6 [6]. In the present study, single debris impacts on structures was experimentally investigated under tsunami-like wave conditions. Eccentric and oblique impacts of a model shipping container (length scale 1:40) on a non-rigid structure were examined. The experimental results of the non-rigid impacts are discussed in the context of the existing force equations which were derived under the assumption of rigid-body impact theory. As expected, the elasticity of the structure was determined to influence and, specifically, reduce the magnitude of the debris impact forces. Existing impact force equations are herein critically discussed through comparison with the experimental results and, finally, modifications to existing force equations to account for non-rigid collisions are proposed.