Developing a design criterion for shoreline response to multiple submerged breakwaters.
Background
Submerged breakwaters (SBWs) are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative for common emerged coastal defense systems, due to the lack of impact on beach amenity and aesthetics (Ranasinghe & Turner, 2006).
While the processes around an emergent breakwater and the impact on the shoreline of it are well known and researched, for the SBW that level of familiarity has not yet been reached. So before the concept ‘Submerged Breakwater’ can safely be implemented as a solution or controlling element at the coastline, more research is needed to be able to quantify the impact of such an element.
Research objective
The objective of this MSc Thesis is to develop a more generally applicable design criterion for the shoreline response to SBWs by extending the design criterion validated by (Blouin, 2012), for multiple shore parallel SBWs. This objective will be reached by way of the following points:
- A literature study on (the impact on the coastline of) submerged breakwaters,
- Short explanation of the modelling tool that will be used (Delft3D),
- Recapitulation of the research and conclusions of (Blouin, 2012) with a field case on the south coast of the UK (Rendle & Davidson, 2012) (subject to change),
- Analytic prediction of the change in the total hydrodynamic conditions caused by adding (a) gap(s) in the SBW,
- Extending the existing models with the addition of multiple SBWs, and a validation with Delft3D of the hydrodynamic processes caused by the added gap(s) in the SBW,
- Sensitivity analysis of multiple SBWs design parameters of the hydrodynamic processes,
- Validation and calibration of the Delft3D model by use of a comparable field case,
- Development of a (or addition to an existing) criterion that is based on structural parameters to predict the shoreline response when placing SBWs with certain dimensions.
Status
Finished.
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