Physical model studies on stability of concrete armoured breakwaters

Abstract

As the breakwater construction started moving in to deeper waters, the wave load on its armour increased resulting in usage of heavier armour units inviting environmental and logistical problems. With the advancement in the technology, concrete armour units have been extensively replacing the natural stones with benefits such as saving in the material and cost while reducing loads on the seabed and helping in construction of environment etc. Tandem breakwater and berm breakwater could be the alternative solutions for the above said case. This paper presents the two cases of physical model studies on the stability of concrete armoured structures, one with tandem breakwater and another on berm breakwater. Both the models are subjected to monochromatic waves with varying characteristics. From the study it was observed that in case of tandem breakwater the crest width of submerged reef and the distance between breakwater and reef are the defining parameter while in case of berm breakwater the height of the berm and its width are the characteristic factors in reducing the breakwater damage. © 2011 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.