Investigation of the quality of armour stones used in rubble mound breakwater in Güzelbahçe (İzmir), Turkey

The goal of the study was to investigate the quality of the four different types of rocks obtained from three different quarries used as armour stones at the Güzelbahçe (İzmir-Turkey) project and to compare the findings against the observed field performance (after being in service between 2015 and 2019). The intent was to demonstrate the importance of initial characterization of the rocks before they are selected to be used in a given project and to examine the suitability of the existing classification methods to properly capture the observed field performance of the stones that may have complex geological make-up. Classification of all of these stones were evaluated in great detail both based on CIRIA/CUR and RERS classification methods. The findings were then compared with the classifications based on durability assessments from laboratory tests. The results from these evaluations indicated that if the selected stones have complex geological make-up, the classifications obtained from CIRIA/CUR and RERS may not be sufficient enough to identify the suitability of the stones. The results showed the importance of careful evaluations and the benefits of combining the results from all of the available classification methods when making decisions.