Dynamic Cliff-Top Beam Response to Wave Impact

Boulders are fractured and excavated by large waves along steep coastlines, contributing to coastal erosion. Intense fluid pressures enter cracks in attached bedrock, inducing bending stresses that may result in hydraulic fracture of a block. We consider the dynamic response of an attached rock beam to loading during wave impact. We verify the computational method using a known steady-state solution. We show that fast loading leads to greatest stress in the beam and that the beam oscillates before settling to an equilibrium position. These oscillations can produce large stresses long after the impact time.