Dr. David Fuhrman
Technical University of Denmark
From the surface to the sea bed: Recent
advances in computaƟonal coastal dynamics
Abstract
FRIDAY, OCT. 9
NOON—1:15 PM
MEC 106
The seminar will present highlights of the presenter’s coastal hydrodynamics research spanning the past decade, with focus on two fronts: 1) computa onal wave hydrodynamics and 2) numerical simula on of sediment transport processes and scour. Results involving simulated nonlinear water waves will first be presented, based on a developed highly-accurate “Boussinesq-type” approach. The developed wave model is capable of simula ng a wide range of physical scales, and this flexibility will be demonstrated through applica ons ranging from extreme waves in deep water to shallow-water tsunami propaga on and run-up at the shoreline. Results considering the life cycle of a typical tsunami prior to run-up will be considered in detail, including propaga on over a deep ocean floor, shoaling up a con nental slope, and finally nearshore propaga on on a con nental shelf region. Analysis of the results will reveal significant shortcomings regarding the use of socalled solitary waves as model tsunamis, which has been the dominant paradigm for experimental and mathema cal research on tsunamis da ng back to the 1970s. Research involving sediment transport and scour will then be presented, based on a developed “fully-coupled” simula on tool, in which hydrodynamics, turbulence, and sediment transport (bed and suspended load) descrip ons are combined to drive resultant morphology of the sea bed. Results from a recent study involving the simula on of scour beneath submarine pipelines in combined wave-plus-current flow environments will be presented. Through systema c applica on and analysis of a large number of runs, a new and simple expression for the me scale of scour is developed, which is presently lacking in the literature. The new generalized expression unifies those previously proposed for both the purewave and pure-current limits, and is appropriate for engineering use. Biography
Dr. David R. Fuhrman is presently Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark, Sec on for Fluid Mechanics, Coastal and Mari me Engineering. He also presently serves as Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Offshore
Mechanics and Arc c Engineering. A na ve Boisean, Dr. Fuhrman earned his BSc degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Idaho in 1999. He then moved to The Netherlands to work on his Master degree in Hydroinforma cs from UNESCO-IHE Ins tute for Water Educa on, performing his MSc thesis research while visi ng DHI Water & Environment, Denmark. He went on to earn his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark in 2004, where he has held a faculty posi on since 2006. His research focusses on the numerical simula on of physical processes within several disciplines, including nonlinear wave hydrodynamics, tsunamis, wave boundary layers, turbulence, and sediment transport (including scour and backfilling around structures). To date he has authored or co-authored 28 peer-refereed journal papers, two book chapters, in addi on to numerous interna onal conference and workshop contribu ons. Dr. Fuhrman is a former U.S. Fulbright Netherland-America Founda on Scholar, and received the 2005 Myrwold Founda on Special Achievement Award for outstanding PhD research.