To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the catastrophic Indian Ocean Tsunami of 26 December 2004, HR Wallingford has made a new film highlighting how its engineers are working with partners to help protect vulnerable communities from future tsunamis.
The need for tsunami simulation was originally pinpointed by the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at University College London (UCL) where researchers were trying to improve building standards following the 2004 Boxing day tsunami. HR Wallingford took on the challenge of creating a testing facility which could provide realistic representation of tsunami waves so researchers could measure forces on physical structures.
The pneumatic tsunami simulator that was developed has been used in various research projects, and replicated at research facilities in Indonesia. It is unique because of its ability to provide realistic representations of tsunami waves in the laboratory, recreate stable trough-led and elevated waves with very long wavelengths.
Dr Ian Chandler, HR Wallingford Principal Engineer, said: “We are now working with London South Bank University to create a digital twin of an even more complex dual tsunami simulator – which would allow us to simulate tsunami waves coming into shore and then the return flow back to sea for the first time. We hope that the work will be used to build a much needed new tsunami generation facility and conduct further research into tsunami resilient buildings and coastal defences.”
The collaboration has been funded through research grants and strategic investments by the consortium organisations, including HR Wallingford’s internal research funding.
In October this year, the Makewaves Tsunami Collaboration, to which HR Wallingford belong, received the prestigious Hamaguchi Award in recognition of over 20 years of work to improve protection from the harm tsunamis can cause to human life, buildings and critical infrastructure.
We’re thrilled to have our work recognised with this award by the Japanese government,” said Ian. “It’s amazing to know that we are making a real difference to the lives of people who live with the threat of tsunamis.”
The film can be watched on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa2hQ55xJ2w&t=127s
