{"id":23030,"date":"2025-02-10T16:06:38","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T16:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/?page_id=23030"},"modified":"2025-02-10T23:57:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T23:57:45","slug":"3c-breakwater","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/?page_id=23030","title":{"rendered":"3c. Breakwater"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-11-at-00.05.35.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-23521 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-11-at-00.05.35.jpeg\" alt=\"whatsapp-image-2025-02-11-at-00-05-35\" width=\"543\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-11-at-00.05.35.jpeg 897w, http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-11-at-00.05.35-300x183.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-11-at-00.05.35-520x317.jpeg 520w, http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-11-at-00.05.35-740x451.jpeg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 543px) 100vw, 543px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breakwaters are coastal structures designed to protect shorelines from flooding and erosion while enabling harbor activities. Among these, Rubble Mound Breakwaters are constructed with a core of quarry run, shielded from wave action by one or more layers of large stones or specially shaped concrete armor units.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A rubble mound breakwater can also include a parapet wall, built with reinforced concrete, serving two primary purposes: facilitating the safe transit of people and vehicles and mitigating overtopping during storm events.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Functionality of the breakwater in the integrated system<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this particular case, the breakwater serves as a key element in reducing wave action on both structures [1]:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Reduction of wave forces and structural fatigue: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Continuous wave loading is a critical factor influencing both the design (materials and dimensions) and the fatigue life of offshore structures. In this system:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offshore oil platforms are located in the calm waters created by the breakwater, reducing hydrodynamic loads.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wind turbines are installed directly on the breakwater, meaning their foundations have no direct contact with water, significantly lowering the structural stresses caused by waves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Lower probability of extreme marine conditions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The breakwater acts as a primary barrier, absorbing and dissipating wave energy before it reaches the offshore structures. As waves roll over the breakwater, they lose energy, reducing their impact on the protected area.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Improved logistics for offshore operations: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sea state conditions pose a significant challenge during the construction, operation, and maintenance of offshore infrastructure. The breakwater plays a crucial role in mitigating these limitations by improving accessibility and reducing downtime.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offshore oil platform access is often restricted due to local wave conditions. A widely used parameter to assess accessibility is the significant wave height (Hs), as vessel access is typically prohibited when Hs exceeds 1.3 &#8211; 1.8 m. By dissipating wave energy, the breakwater creates calmer sea conditions, significantly reducing operational delays and ensuring that maintenance activities can be carried out more efficiently.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wind turbine access is further optimized, as they are constructed directly on the breakwater. With the addition of a crown wall, land-based vehicles can be used for maintenance, eliminating the reliance on ships and further streamlining logistics.<\/span><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<h4><b>Materials and maintenance strategy<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A key component of the rubble mound breakwater was selected to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): the parapet wall. This structure plays a crucial role in the integrated system, as it mitigates overtopping during storm events while also facilitating the accessibility of land-based vehicles for wind turbine maintenance, eliminating the need for ships and streamlining logistics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An LCA was performed to evaluate the environmental performance of three design alternatives for the parapet wall (summarized in Table 1), with a particular focus on their carbon footprint and overall contribution to climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022358.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-23623 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022358.png\" alt=\"screenshot-2025-02-11-022358\" width=\"497\" height=\"155\" srcset=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022358.png 580w, http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022358-300x94.png 300w, http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022358-520x162.png 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among the three evaluated options, RC3, which incorporates GFRP reinforcement and recycled aggregates, demonstrated the lowest environmental impact. Although GFRP production generates some emissions, its lightweight properties help offset these effects by improving structural performance and reducing overall material consumption. For this reason, RC3 was selected for the parapet wall in this project. The cross-section, shown in Figure 2, was used to calculate the total volume of concrete and reinforcement required.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022610.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-23634 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022610.png\" alt=\"screenshot-2025-02-11-022610\" width=\"378\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022610.png 582w, http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022610-300x213.png 300w, http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-11-022610-520x369.png 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 378px) 100vw, 378px\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since RC3 was chosen as the primary material for the integrated system, the maintenance plan was developed accordingly. Literature sources [4], [5]<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0indicate that GFRP-reinforced concrete does not require major repair actions. In fact, after a 100-year service life, it is expected to retain up to 70% of its initial strength in similar structures. However, concrete in marine environments is still vulnerable to physical deterioration, primarily due to the water exposure (erosion, wetting and drying cycles) and biological activity (marine organisms affecting the surface).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To address these issues, concrete surface preservation measures called Concrete Surface Maintenance (CSM) were included in the maintenance plan:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This action is planned for a 80-year lifespan of the structure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintenance consists of cleaning the surface and repairing minor defects every 5 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The volume of material to be replaced corresponds to 1.5% of the total concrete volume. This estimate was based on 50% of the total concrete volume, considering deterioration effects and the reinforcement cover on the seaward side, which is more exposed to environmental degradation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The duration of maintenance interventions varies depending on the size and length of the breakwater and the environmental conditions (localized aggressiveness, material performance over time) and the construction quality. A preliminary estimation suggests that maintenance work could progress at a rate of 20 meters per day. For a 250-meter-long breakwater, this results in an estimated 13-day intervention period.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">References<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"901\">\n<p data-start=\"620\" data-end=\"901\">&#8220;Welsh Port Steps Closer to Becoming Floating Wind Hub.&#8221; <em data-start=\"677\" data-end=\"696\">Offshore Engineer<\/em>, 30 Jan. 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oedigital.com\/news\/512596-welsh-port-steps-closer-to-becoming-floating-wind-hub\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"712\" data-end=\"898\">https:\/\/www.oedigital.com\/news\/512596-welsh-port-steps-closer-to-becoming-floating-wind-hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"903\" data-end=\"1185\">\n<p data-start=\"905\" data-end=\"1185\">Cejuela, Eduardo, Vicente Negro, and Jose Mar\u00eda del Campo. \u201cEvaluation and Optimization of the Life Cycle in Maritime Works.\u201d <em data-start=\"1031\" data-end=\"1047\">Sustainability<\/em>, vol. 12, no. 11, 2020, doi:10.3390\/su12114524, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/12\/11\/4524\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"1096\" data-end=\"1182\">https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/12\/11\/4524<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1187\" data-end=\"1464\" data-is-last-node=\"\">\n<p data-start=\"1189\" data-end=\"1464\" data-is-last-node=\"\">Younis, Adel, Usama Ebead, and Simon Judd. \u201cLife Cycle Cost Analysis of Structural Concrete Using Seawater, Recycled Concrete Aggregate, and GFRP Reinforcement.\u201d <em data-start=\"1351\" data-end=\"1388\">Construction and Building Materials<\/em>, vol. 175, June 2018, pp. 152\u2013160, doi:10.1016\/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.183.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Breakwaters are coastal structures designed to protect shorelines from flooding and erosion while enabling harbor activities. 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