###Multi-scale modelling of tsunamis interaction with build environment
Project ID: 2228bd1118 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Engineering
UCL Lead department: Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE)
Lead Supervisor: Eugeny Buldakov
Project Summary:
Two extensive experimental programmes on tsunami interaction with buildings performed by UCL researchers, resulted in large data sets including data on wave kinematics, buildings loading and scour. This provides an invaluable source of data for validation of numerical models and studying the physics of tsunami interaction with structures. Extension of computational cases beyond experimental conditions allows to cover a wide range of practical scenarios of tsunami impact and facilitate the development of improved building codes for tsunami-prone regions of the world.
Numerical simulation of tsunami interaction with structures is a difficult task that requires considering multiple physical scales ranging from the tsunami wave length (kilometres) to the scale of sediments involved in the erosion and scour (fraction of a millimetre). No single numerical tool can simulate these multi-scale processes. This project aims to develop a hybrid model that works efficiently at a wide scales range using a combination of experimentally validated models. These will include a Lagrangian model for tsunami propagation over a complex bathymetry, an advanced shallow water model for inundation on a coastline and a CFD model for impact on buildings and scour. Through this hybrid model approach, we will simulate the interaction of tsunami waves with structures with an efficiency beyond the capabilities of contemporary models.
During the project, the appointed student will develop the hybrid tsunami-buildings interaction model, validate it against experimental data and apply it to simulate extended cases with the aim to improve understanding of the relevant processes and to contribute to building codes. The student will be trained in wave mechanics, advanced numerical analysis and the methodology of development, validation and application of numerical models in relation to the practical problem of tsunami impact modelling.