New formulae for prediction of wave overtopping at inclined structures with smooth impermeable surface

Reliable prediction of wave overtopping rate has an important role in the design and safety assessment of coastal structures. In this study, the selected data from the CLASH database were used to provide new formulas for the estimation of wave overtopping at simple sloped inclined seawalls or dikes with smooth impermeable surface. To develop the formulas, the decision tree approach together with the nonlinear regression provided by SPSS was used as a novel procedure. The conventional governing parameters were used as the input and output variables. The accuracy of the new formulas was then compared to those of previous ones and the measurements. It was shown that the presented formulas outperform the existing ones in the prediction of small and large scale overtopping rates at inclined impermeable coastal structures such as dikes and seawalls. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.