Tsunami Resilient Foundation for Breakwater: Centrifuge Model Tests

Abstract

Many coastal protection structures collapsed due to the past earthquakes and tsunamis. For example, several breakwaters damaged during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. Due to the failure of the breakwaters, the tsunami waves could not be blocked by the breakwaters. Thus, the tsunami entered in the coastal areas; and imposed deep devastation there. It was found that the breakwaters damaged mainly due to their foundation failures. In order to mitigate such damage of breakwater caused by earthquake and tsunami, new techniques were developed by the authors for breakwater foundation. In the technique, gabions and sheet piles are used in breakwater foundation. Effectiveness of the developed foundations model of breakwater were evaluated by conducting centrifuge model tests. It was observed that the developed models could mitigate damage, and make the breakwater resilient against earthquake and tsunami-induced damage. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.