Spectral Analysis and Prediction of the Wave Forces Acting on Coastal Bridge Decks

The wave action on a box girder-type bridge deck is experimentally investigated in this study. Two types of incident waves, namely, regular waves (RWs) and focused waves (FWs), are tested. Fourier, wavelet, and Hilbert spectra of the vertical wave forces are obtained and analyzed. Four different methods are then applied to obtain the low- and high-frequency components of the total vertical wave force. Based on the separation results, the relationship between the wave force and wave crest amplitude is thereafter examined. An empirical formula is proposed to predict the vertical wave force. It is hoped that the aforementioned empirical formula may be widely applied during bridge design.