A breakwater may also serve to reduce the amount of dredging in front of a harbor entrance. The protection may be provided for a beach or a harbor. The most frequent purpose of a breakwater is to provide protection against waves. Purposes of breakwaters and design information Then, understanding the likely incident wave and water level conditions, how the breakwater influences the incident wave energy distribution and tidal flows on the beach, and the beach’s response to the new conditions are the three key elements for selecting an appropriate geometrical layout of a nearshore detached breakwater scheme.Ģ. In fact, breakwaters are built to change the coast in some way. īreakwater design should be first driven by the identification of the optimal configuration of the shoreline. Tombolo in the leeward side of a breakwater. This may then lead to further engineering protection being needed downdrift of the breakwater development (Figure 1).įigure 1. This can lead to the formation of a tombolo, which traps longshore sediment drift and may cause adverse effects, leading to beach sediment starvation and increased erosion downdrift. The dissipation of energy and relative calm water created in the lee of the breakwaters often encourage deposition of sediment. They may also imply unintended consequences. Breakwaters have a significant impact on the wave regime and therefore coastal dynamics and morphodynamics. They also differ for their permeability, the possibility to be overtopped and therefore the resulting reduction of the energy of waves. Different types of breakwaters can be used, which can be built by using several different materials. Harbor muds, infact, may be contaminated and need proper treatment before disposal. Removing sediments from harbor basins is problematic for the need to displace them. Breakwaters are also used to control cross-shore sediment transport inside harbor basins, which is in turn useful to reduce the need for dredging. Wave height is thus reduced therefore facilitating the harbourage of ships and controlling erosion. They are barriers that are frequently displaced perpendicularly to the dominant wave direction, which absorb, refract, diffract and reflect part of the wave energy, therefore reducing the amount of energy that reaches the shoreline. Breakwaters are widely used structures to control coastal erosion and to ensure safe access to harbors.
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