A Procedure for the Analysis and Design of Concrete Armor Units

A rational approach to the design of rubble mound breakwaters that incorporates both the hydraulic stability and the structural integrity of individual concrete armor units is presented. A key element of this improved design procedure is the development of instrumentation to measure loads occurring on armor units in a physical model of a breakwater. Numerical methods have been employed to determine stresses throughout the armor unit once the loads are known and interaction design curves were developed from measured data. These interaction curves provide a useful assessment of the structural integrity of the armor units. The curves clearly demonstrate the overall factor of safety associated with the armor unit and the expected mode of failure. Based on the results of this type of analysis, the cost effectiveness and safety associated with different design alternatives may be explored and a breakwater that is both hydraulically and structurally efficient may be designed.