Wave flumes

The QGHL wave flumes are often used to undertake investigations of coastal processes in a simplified manner, where cross-shore processes are critical aspects of the design process. The QGHL has both 1-metre-wide and 5-metre-wide flume options available.

1-metre flume

A 1m wave flume was commissioned by the QGHL in June 2021. It is typically used to assess and optimise the cross-section design of a coastal structure such as a breakwater, seawall or submarine pipeline.

About

• This flume is 40m long, 1m wide, and 1.4m deep and features a 11m long viewing window, located approximately 24m from the paddle.
• The length of the flume and viewing window enables excellent flexibility in model scaling.
• The 1m flume is usually configured using steel floor plates to produce a representative nearshore bathymetry that allows representative wave transformations.
• Typical length scales for the 1m flume models range between 1:10 and 1:30.

5-metre flume

The 5-metre flume allows some three-dimensional testing of coastal structures, such as breakwater roundheads while being lower in cost than a larger basin model.

About

• The QGHL uses one of the basin paddles to operate a 5m wide, 25m long, and 0.8m deep wave flume.
• In addition, a concrete-capped fixed bed can be constructed when a representative nearshore bathymetry is required.
• Typical length scales for the 5m flume models range between 1:20 and 1:40.