Interaction Between Porous Media and Wave Motion

▪ Abstract This article reviews the use of Darcy's law for analyzing waves moving past a porous structure. The engineering applications of these analyses are emph asized. The first part of the article studies theories on the effect of a porous structure on incoming wave trains. It also reviews the movement of waves past a plate with regular gaps in it in an attempt to compare the results of potential theory with those of Darcy's law. The second part reviews the use of a porous structure as a wavemaker when the structure is subject to horizontal oscillation. The third part extends the theories to the use of a porous structure as a breakwater in a two-dimensional harbor. The effect of the structure on reducing waves and suppressing harbor resonance is investigated.