THE USE OF ENCAPSULATED SAND ELEMENTS FOR BEACH PROTECTION

摘要

In the south of France a project has been executed with making use of sand encapsulated elements, also known as geotextile tube systems. These elements are used in that project to reduce wave action on the beach. Due to storm events often beach areas are eroding through the high waves, by breaking them in front of the beach the erosion effect reduces. These systems are in use as submerged breakwaters. With them the wave action on the beach can be reduced and these are people friendly structures during the bathing season in compare with rock solutions. In this project it is shown that with local available materials, sand, cost effective solutions can be constructed for beach protection. Next to that is the advantage that the structure is not visible from the beach, which is giving the users of the beach an open view. In the paper we will present the technology, experiences with the systems, hydrological testing and a case study of a proven project. Also we will look to the future with the new CO_2 calculator for building structures with low carbon emissions. The project has proven itself already due to an effective protection during the November storms in 2011.