Design of vertical gravity sea and quay walls – an overview

摘要

Gravity quay and sea walls, specifically block walls, have been used as some of the earliest engineering solutions. An example is at the historic Lothal Port (in India) where vertical walls have been constructed with fired mudbrick to provide a four-metre-deep dock. These walls date back to approximately 2400 to 2000 BC. As trade routes developed, knowledge transfer increased, which led to the development in construction materials and techniques. Stone and timber material structure combinations, and later concrete, were used. The Romans introduced the concept of timber caissons filled with marine concrete (De Graauw 2019). In the 19th century steam ships started replacing sailing vessels and the draughts of the vessels started increasing, resulting in the need for deeper berth structures. With the introduction of steel reinforcement more slender structures could be constructed. Steel piled solutions also became a viable structure option. To this day blockwork walls can still be the best solution, depending on the project?requirements.