Experimental Investigation of the Hydraulic Performance of Breakwater Structures with Geotextile Armor Units

Abstract

Geotextile sand containers (GSCs) gained popularity recently as a modern age coastal protection measure. Its usability as an ecofriendly alternative for traditional breakwaters overcomes issues such as scarcity and quarrying prohibition of natural rocks. The current work involves a 1:30 scaled physical experimentation on the hydraulic performance of an emerged, nonovertopping breakwater model with GSCs. Four configurations of GSC structures are analyzed for their runup, rundown, and reflection characteristics confining to wave parameters of Mangaluru. The study revealed that the reflection coefficient (Kr) for GSC structures could range from 0.26 to 0.69. In addition, reducing GSC fill percentage from 100 to 80 is found to be more effective (up to 64%) in reducing reflection, runup, and rundown rates, than altering GSC size. These results can serve as a practical guideline for designing GSC breakwaters.