Design and construction of mound breakwaters

Abstract

This paper describes the evolution of design techniques applied to mound breakwaters as well as some key tools, equipment and construction techniques. The influence of the theoretical and laboratory research is analyzed in detail, from the pioneering research by Iribarren eighty years ago to the construction of single-layer armored breakwaters in recent decades. The economic optimization and the new embodied energy and carbon concepts associated to the construction of mound breakwaters are studied. New concepts as well as the invention of new armor units are examined as is their impact based on the observations from small-scale physical experiments and the relevance of the equipment and logistic constraints to explain the evolution of the way mound breakwaters have been designed and built over time.

Keywords

• Diques Rompeolas
• Diques en Talud
• Manto Principal
• Espaldón
• Estabilidad Hidráulica
• Rebase