Stability analysis and design of offshore submerged breakwater constructed using sand filled geosynthetic tubes

Abstract

Kadalur Periyakuppam (KPK) is a fishing village located 70 km south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The coastline of KPK was subjected to severe erosion due to high energy waves during Thane (2011), Nilam (2012) and Madi (2013) cyclones. The Tamil Nadu Fisheries department facilities located near the coast is subjected to damage as the coastline has receded by 45 m in the last few years following the severe erosion caused by cyclones. Since most of the erosion occurred after the storm waves hit the shoreline, sustainable option for shoreline protection would be to shift wave breaking to deeper depths. Based on numerical model studies and assessment of shoreline behaviour over two years, it is proposed to construct a submerged segmented breakwater. The submerged breakwater is proposed to be constructed at 4 m water depth up to a height of 3.5 m using sand filled geosynthetic tubes. Geosynthetic tubes shall be placed in a stacked manner with 2 tubes of 1.5 m high each at the bottom and a tube of 2.5 m height at the top accounting for height loss due to settlement. Design and stability checks are carried out by using available literature as no standard methods or design codes are available for design or stability checks for the geosynthetic tubes. The breakwater structure is checked for stability against sliding, overturning and bearing capacity. The geosynthetic tube material specifications such as tensile strength, ultra violet ray resistance, apparent opening size and fabric material are calculated using suitable design methods. The scouring, in front and behind the breakwater structure under prevailing wave conditions, is estimated for designing scour protection.