Reshaping Breakwaters on the Stability of Roundheads and Trunk Erosion in Oblique Waves

by Hans F. Burcharth, Univ of Aalborg, Denmark,
Peter Frigaard, Univ of Aalborg, Denmark,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Berm Breakwaters: Unconventional Rubble-Mound Breakwaters

Abstract:

The stability of a berm type breakwater (sacrificial breakwater) was tested in a 3-dimensional model at The Hydraulics laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Aalborg. The object was to study the stability/erosion of the breakwater head and the trunk, the latter exposed to both head-on and oblique irregular waves. To avoid too many parameters a simple breakwater geometry and only one class of stones were used. The roundhead erosion and the erosion of the trunk in oblique waves have a very strong non-linear dependency on the sea state. Below a certain sea state threshold value the erosion rates are very small, but excess of this value causes a drastic increase in the erosion. Consequently identification and consideration of this threshold value are of great importance in the design process.

Subject Headings: Coastal protection structures | Breakwaters | Erosion | Water waves | Hydraulic models | Hydraulic engineering | Hydraulic design

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