THREE-DIMENSIONAL HYDROELASTIC PHYSICAL MODEL OF NEUTRALLY BUOYANT SECTOR GATES IN THE NEW ORLEANS STORM SURGE BARRIER

摘要

This paper presents the results from a three-dimensional hydroelastic 1:20 scale physical model study of the neutrally buoyant Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW) sector gates. The gates are part of the 3 km long Inner Harbor Navigational Canal (IHNC) storm surge barrier in New Orleans, which was commissioned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in response to destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina. The study was performed to determine the 1-percentannual-chance design loads under storm surge and wave conditions, and under reverse head caused by the storm's withdrawal. During storms the 25.30 m radius and 12.80 m tall sector gates close the GIWW, near the confluence of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), where storm surge from Hurricane Katrina overtopped 1.2 km of levee along the canal, flooding New Orleans.