Investigation of wave interaction with partially submerged wave screens

Wave screens are thin vertical barriers composed of slotted rectangular elements with uniform gaps and fixed submergence, used to attenuate wave energy in sheltered basins such as marinas and small harbors. In this study, a combined laboratory and OpenFOAM based numerical investigation is conducted to quantify wave reflection, transmission, energy dissipation, and wave induced forces for partially submerged wave screens with varying porosity and submergence. An analytical formulation is further developed to estimate forces and clarify governing mechanisms. Results show that: (i) wave reflection reaches nearly its maximum value when the screen is submerged by only about 20% of the water depth, whereas further submergence primarily increases forces with limited gains in reflection. (ii) Porosity variations strongly affect transmission and energy dissipation but have a comparatively minor impact on forces. (iii) Wave steepness governs both attenuation efficiency and force levels, with steeper waves producing higher dissipation and loads even at shallow submergence.