Proof-of-concept model tests on a novel self-deploying on-shore tsunami barrier were executed. The tsunami barrier consists of a membrane, floater and cables that are stored underground. Due to buoyancy the barrier self-deploys when struck by a tsunami. The membrane and cables consist of the strong, flexible and light-weight material Dyneema that can resist a 20 m high water column. A novel tsunami generating method was applied to generate a high-velocity initial bore, followed by a long duration high water level, using a normal piston type wave maker in a wave flume. Numerical calculations using a numerical Volume-of-Fluid code were used to tune the tsunami generation. The tests showed that the tsunami barrier indeed automatically deployed and completely blocked a 19 m high (reflected) tsunami for bore velocities up to 7.5 m/s. For higher bore velocities the barrier still deployed. For larger tsunamis (with a 33 m reflected water depth) the barrier remained erected, although overflow evidently occurred.@en

A new ultimate strength model is developed to predict the final failure, with the influence of matrix failure, of notched cross-ply laminates. The present model is based on the estimation of the local stresses and the redistribution of the local stresses in the critical damage zones around the notches. The new ultimate strength model can be stated as: when the local stresses in the critical-load-carrying elements reach their failure strength, the critical-load-carrying element will fail and the ultimate failure will occur. In order to estimate the local stress concentration in the critical damage zones, a method is developed and applied to decompose the local stress concentration into several parts, e.g., the geometrical contribution, the stacking-ratio contribution, and the damage contribution. Combined with a single numerical simulation for a notched laminate, the damage-dependent stress concentration of the laminate can be established for different notches and it is then utilized to predict the ultimate strength of notched laminates with different notches. The applications of this method show that the model prediction agrees with the experimental observations satisfactorily. Keywords: ultimate strength, notched laminates, notch-induced splits, stress concentration, notch size effects.@en