Scour Hole Evolution Near A Detached Low-Crested Rubble-Mound Breakwater

Abstract

Low-crested detached breakwaters are affected by coastal hydro- and morphodynamics, due to complex wave-structure- seabed interactions, which impact their stability, namely due to scour effects. The scour phenomenon has been under study in several mobile-bed physical model research studies (e.g., Fredsøe et al., 1997, Sumer et al., 2000 and Sumer et al., 2005). However, scour phenomenon near detached rubble-mound breakwaters is still far from being well understood.

Therefore, the present research work comprises an innovative and comprehensive analysis of the local morphodynamics around a detached low-crested rubble-mound breakwater, with a special focus on the quantitative characterization of scour phenomena, namely the scour depth.