Numerical modelling of tsunami bore impact on low-rise residential buildings using SPH

The resilience of buildings subject to tsunami bore impact can be improved by reducing tsunami-induced lateral hydrodynamic pressure by allowing part of the tsunami bore to pass through the buildings via openings and break-away walls. This research investigated the reduction of lateral pressure caused by tsunami bore impact on a low-rise residential building with openings proposed as the prototype of tsunami-resistant house. Numerical method using smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH)- based software called DualSPHysics was used to create simulation in numerical boundary in the form of a water tank. The tsunami-like bore simulations were generated based on dam-break analogy and were validated against experimental results. Four simulation cases were conducted in this study: Case 1 and Case 2 were dealing with the parameter sensitivity of reservoir height and distance between reservoir and building, while Case 3 and Case 4 were related to the effectiveness of openings and the base elevation of building in reducing wave impact pressures. The numerical modelling results show that the presence of openings and building’s base elevation significantly reduced the lateral hydrodynamic pressures on buildings up to 50% and this could become an effective strategy for improving the resilience of low-rise residential buildings under tsunami bore impact.