Comparative study on calculation methods of wave force on breast wall in Chinese, Japanese and European codes

Abstract

The stability calculation of breast wall is an important content in the design of slope marine structures. The main damage load of breast wall on rubble-mound breakwater is wave force. In the absence of physical model test data, wave force is often differently calculated according to the methods specified in the different codes and design manuals. In this paper, different calculation methods for wave force based on the codes of China, Japan and Europe are discussed and analyzed. Then, a revetment project in Africa is taken as an example to compare the calculation results. Finally, important conclusions can be obtained that (1) the results calculated by the Chinese code are relatively reasonable; (2) When calculating the wave force imposed on breast wall placed on vertical wall, the Goda’s method in the Japanese code is practicable. As for the relevant calculation of the wave force on slope structures, it can only be used for approximate estimation. (3) In the method of BS6349, the range of K value is relatively large, which has great influence on the calculation results. When using this method, more attention should be paid to the selection of K value. The results can provide a reference for structure design of breast wall without physical model test data.