Coastal engineering and external stability analyses of a segmented-block cargo-port bulkhead against hazard loadings

Author: Eric C. Cruz, Clint Chester M. Reyes, Eric C. Cruz, Clint Chester M. Reyes

Presenter: Eric C. Cruz

Segmented Concrete Block (SCB) bulkhead is considered as an alternative bulkhead structure for a cargo port along a curved coastline that is tracked by several typhoons yearly. Coastal engineering analyses of storm surge and storm waves provide the hazard loadings of typhoons while seismic loadings are based on the characteristics of the nearest known faultline. The main destabilizing loads due to the natural hazards include the dynamic pressures due to fluctuating tides and storm surge, wave impact forces and seismic loads on the blocks and the backfill. Typhoon hazard intensities are quantified thru a calibrated storm surge model, and wave pressures are based on results of coupled hydrodynamics-wave numerical simulations. For this port, it was found that a combination of seismic loading coinciding with prevailing waves would govern seaward sliding and overturning, while typhoon conditions with no seismic loading would cause bearing capacity failure of the SCB bulkhead. This methodology can be applied to other ports where the traditional monolithic gravity-type bulkhead is jointly constrained by construction time window, high hazard intensities and an irregular coastal alignment.

Conference/s:

11th PICE Region VI Technical Conference, 2018 November 14-15

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