COMBINED REFLECTION AND DIFFRACTION BY A VERTICAL WEDGE 



PART I: INTRODUCTION 



1. The boundary value problem of linear wave reflection and diffraction 

 by a vertical wedge of arbitrary wedge angle has been well formulated and 

 presented by Stoker (1957) among many other investigators. The technique to 

 obtain an analytical solution for the problem is also depicted in the cited 

 book. However, analytical solutions are not available for the problem, except 

 for the special case of wave diffraction by a thin semi-infinite breakwater, 

 that is, a wedge with wedge angle equal to zero. 



2. The solution of the thin semi-infinite breakwater was presented in 

 the dimensionless diffraction diagrams by Wiegel (1962). The diagrams have 

 been especially useful in preliminary engineering design and have been in- 

 cluded in the Shore Protection Manual (SPM) (1984). Although equally useful, 

 the combined reflection and diffraction diagrams are not available, perhaps 

 because of the complexity of the diagrams which makes them difficult to create 

 without using modern high-speed computers for computation and graphing. 



3. The objectives of the present study are (a) to obtain an analytical 

 solution for the combined wave reflection and diffraction by a vertical wedge 

 of arbitrary wedge angle subject to excitation of a plane simple harmonic wave 

 train coming from infinity and (b) to provide the combined reflection and dif- 

 fraction diagrams. The diagrams included in this report have two cases: one 

 for a thin semi-infinite breakwater and the other for a 90-deg vertical wedge. 

 Subroutine WEDGE for computing the combined reflection and diffraction by a 

 vertical wedge of arbitrary wedge angle is also documented in the report 

 (Appendix A) . 



