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Dr. Patrick Lynett receives an award from the National Science Foundation
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December 16, 2011 —
Dr. Patrick Lynett received an award from the National Science Foundation entitled “Tsunami Induced Coherent Structures and their impact on our Coastal Infrastructure.” Research on this award started October 01, 2011 and will conclude in September 2015.
The aim of the research is to unravel the complexities involved in how tsunami-induced coherent structures affect our coastal sediments and infrastructure. Ultimately, the researchers hope to significantly advance their ability to resolve and ultimately constrain the role of coherent structures induced by tsunamis. Insight gained from how coherent structures affect the neighboring boundaries can be used to mitigate practical concerns regarding mooring designs, scour of structures, liquefaction of submerged free structures (e.g. underground tanks, previously buried munitions, etc.), and catastrophic erosion of coastal communities.
Dr. Patrick J. Lynett will have the primary role of directing the experiments in the Tsunami Wave Basin (TWB) at Oregon State University, measuring the properties of shallow coherent structures (SCS). The primary goals of the SCS experiments in the TWB are to:
- Understand the conditions under which SCS can be generated by and subsequently spin-down during transient wave forcing
- Construct a complete kinematic picture of the SCS free surface, with additional internal point measurements
- Visualize the 3D flow patterns inside the SCS
- Provide a dataset that can be used to validate numerical models used to predict currents in ports and harbors
To achieve these goals, a physical configuration will be created in the image of a port entrance - in essence a detached breakwater.
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