EFFICIENCY OF PERMEABLE CAISSON SEAWALL REINFORCED WITH FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMERS

摘要

Despite the high wave-absorbing capacity of vertical slotted-wall breakwaters, they may slide or overturn due to waves. It was suggested to use inclined front wall to enhance wave energy dissipation. The hydrodynamic performance of 45?inclined slotted-wall breakwater was experimentally studied. It gives 10% more dissipated wave energy than that of vertical wall at high wave steepness. In addition, the breakwater stability was improved. Furthermore, less wave reflection gives less toe protection seaward the structure. In this paper, the application of this system as a seawall is discussed. A complete hydraulic and structural design is prepared for El-Gamil shoreline at Port Said as a case study. The proposed permeable caisson seawall could be prepared as prefabricated units with a good quality control. These units can be constructed from plain or reinforced concrete. Plain concrete means large volumes and weights, that leads to difficulties in transportation and positioning of the seawall. On the other hand, the steel reinforcements of the reinforced concrete seawalls are subjected to corrosion in the harsh conditions of the seawater. Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) is non-corrosive material of very high strength to weight ratio. Their use in civil engineering applications attracts nowadays more interest than at anytime before. Excellent resistance to creep and fatigue are some advantages of FRP. A comparative study between the different types of FRP was conducted to select the most appropriate type for seawalls. In addition, a feasibility study of reinforcing inclined slotted seawall with conventional steel or FRP reinforcements is addressed in this paper.