Design Concepts for Floating Breakwaters

by Walter L. Moore, Moore & Sethness Co, Round Rock, TX, USA,
E. Douglas Sethness, Jr., Moore & Sethness Co, Round Rock, TX, USA,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Ports '86

Abstract:

This paper describes a fundamental approach to the design of a floating breakwater based on the concepts of dynamic analysis of floating bodies. The process results in a relatively simple design procedure. In an analogy to ship motions the floating breakwater motions considered are sway, roll, and heave. The geometry of the breakwater is chosen to minimize the forces causing sway, roll and heave, and the dynamic properties are chosen to avoid the chance for resonant motions due to the wave forces. The result is a floating breakwater which lies still in the water and consequently has a low wave transmission coefficient. Measurements of wave transmission coefficients and anchoring forces were made during hydraulic model studies. Observations have been made on full scale installations of breakwaters incorporating this design concept.

Subject Headings: Coastal protection structures | Breakwaters | Hydraulic models | Wave measurement | Dynamic analysis | Wave forces | Ship motion

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