FLOATING BREAKWATER PROTOTYPE TEST PROGRAM 



Eric Nelson 



ABSTRACT 



Due to increased interest in the use of floating breakwaters to provide 

 wave protection, the US Army Corps of Engineers initiated the Floating Break- 

 water Prototype Test Program in February 1981. The program, which utilizes 

 two types of breakwaters — a concrete box and a pipe-tire mat — it^as designed to 

 answer several important engineering questions which include the following: 

 determining the most efficient breakwater for a particular wave climate, pre- 

 dicting the forces that act upon structures and anchoring systems, determining 

 the optimum construction materials, and providing a low-cost means of connect- 

 ing or fendering the individual breakwater modules. After construction and 

 mooring at an exposed site in Puget Sound, the breakwaters were monitored 

 relative to performance and structural response, and the results are being 

 consolidated to aid designers of future floating breakwaters. 



INTRODUCTION 



In February 1981, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) initiated a 

 3-1/2-year prototype test program to establish design criteria for floating 

 breakwater applications in semiprotected coastal waters, lakes, and reservoirs. 

 The test was designed not only to obtain field information on construction 

 methods and materials, connector systems, and maintenance problems but also to 

 measure wave transmission characteristics, anchor loads, and structural forces. 

 Program planning, engineering, and design work were completed in September 

 1981, and construction and placement were completed in August 1982. Monitor- 

 ing and data collection were concluded in January 1984. The Office of the 

 Chief of Engineers (OCE) had overall program responsibility, which included 

 funding of the total program and reviewing and approving all major actions and 

 reports. Guidance regarding site selection, breakwater design, and monitoring 



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