Stability of Groynes Built Using Geo Systems

In general, the groyne sections are made of rubble stones of different sizes. To conserve the ecosystem and also due to the scarcity of natural rocks around certain locations, the reliance on these hard materials for the construction of groyne sections becomes questionable forcing us to look for alternate eco-friendly soft materials, for example, geo systems. In order to evaluate the feasibility and advantages of geo systems for groyne construction and to test their hydrodynamic stability, the core section of rubble stones was replaced by geo-bags filled with sand. The objective of this study is to assess the wave transmission, hydrodynamic stability and wave overtopping of a groyne section with a geo-bags filled core section through physical model studies. The tests were conducted in a wave flume in Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India. A model scale of 1:15 is adopted based on Froude’s scaling law and dimensional limitations of the testing facility. The aforementioned cross sections were tested simultaneously in a wave flume that was partitioned longitudinally. The transmission and hydrodynamic stability of both the sections have been analysed by subjecting the corresponding sections to the action of random waves defined by JONSWAP spectrum through a well-controlled experimental programme. The details of test set-up, testing facility, parameters of model, test procedure, analysis of results and discussion will be reported in this chapter.