Laboratory investigation on horizontal and vertical plate breakwaters

Abstract

Submerged breakwaters are commonly used for coastal protection on many eroding coasts. Plates are proved to induce wave breaking and dissipate wave energy. These have the advantages of low interference with current and sediment transport while saving substantial quantity of material. They permit exchange of surface and subsurface water and living organisms and hence, suitable for ecologically sensitive region. This paper explains the physical model studies to evaluate the transmission coefficients of a rigid submerged horizontal and vertical plate. It is found that the horizontal plate with ds/H<inf>i</inf> < 1.0 is effective to bring the values of K<inf>t</inf> below 0.6 when d/L > 0.22. Vertical plate is effective for the entire range of d/L for ds/H<inf>i</inf> = 0. © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.