Debris impacts and effects on structures

The entrainment of debris within inundating flows in extreme hydrodynamic events results in impact loads and other effects that need to be considered in the design of at-risk structures. The analysis of debris impact loads has been performed following field investigations as well as in an experimental setting. The emphasis of this research has primarily been focused on determining the debris impact loads. Additionally, some work has been performed for assessing the risk of debris impact and entrainment characteristics of the debris. This chapter provides a review of the current research on debris motion, impacts and loads, and analyzes existing design guidelines related to debris loads. The chapter presents the current stateoftheart in the field and also provides recommendations for future research.