12/08/2025
๐จ We are excited to announce the publication of our new paper in Coastal Engineering! ๐จ
"๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฒ-๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ป๐ผ๐ป-๐ฏ๐๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐: ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐"
This work, authored by Giulia Bonanno, Giovanni Passalacqua, Claudio Iuppa , David R. Fuhrman, and Carla Faraci, stems from an experimental campaign at the Laboratorio di Idraulica e Costruzioni Idrauliche UniMe of the University of that fascinated and intrigued us, leading us to explore a relatively unexplored topic: the incipient motion of non-buoyant plastic particles under wave action.
In this study we analyzed:
๐งฉ 9 different types of plastic particles, varying in material, shape, and density
๐ถ Both smooth and rough beds to evaluate the influence of bed roughness
๐ Increasing wave height to capture the incipient motion threshold
๐ Comparison of results with literature data referring to steady flows, filling an important gap
๐ Proposal of a new corrective function that accounts for the degree of particle immersion within the boundary layer, improving predictions compared to the Shields curve
โ For each test, multiple particles were analyzed simultaneously to ensure statistical robustness; incipient motion was defined as being reached when at least 50% of the particles were moving during each wave cycle, balancing natural variability among samples.
๐ Why is this important?
Incipient motion represents the threshold equilibrium condition occurring when hydrodynamic forces are in balance with stabilizing forces. Identifying incipient motion conditions is one of the most complex and challenging topics, especially beneath sea waves, where the direction of motion reverses every half-cycle. Understanding the incipient motion of plastics under wave conditions is crucial for predicting if, when, and how these particles move and accumulate in coastal systems, contributing to marine pollution management and ecosystem protection.
This new analysis finally allows us to robustly reconcile our experimental data with existing literature on steady flows, thanks to an innovative corrective function dependent on the thickness of the boundary layer. This is a key step in harmonizing and advancing scientific understanding of the phenomenon.
We are pleased to share this work and hope it contributes to ongoing research in the field. The full article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2025.104848
This research was made possible thanks to the support of the Italian MUR project PRIN 2022 "๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐๐๐)". Join the community to stay updated!
