EFFECT OF GRAVEL PARTICLE SIZE ON THE RESHAPING OF DYNAMIC REVETMENTS

Abstract

Gravel beaches are prevalent natural features on many coastlines and play a vital role in shore protection, often inspiring protection structures (Bayle et al., 2020) and nature-based solutions. Dynamic revetments are constructed features, designed to mimic gravel beaches, dissipating wave energy and preventing or limiting erosion. Compared to sand beaches, gravel revetments dissipate incident wave energy and dampen backwash intensity by percolating through the relatively large pore volume space (Komar, 2007). During storm events, gravel particles move up the beach, accreting at the crest. This predominately onshore-directed transport of gravel material differs from the storm-driven morphodynamic behaviour of sandy beaches, which tend to exhibit higher rates of offshore-directed transport (Komar, 2007). Ahrens’ Theorem continues to be used as a design volume estimator for dynamic revetments (Bayle et al., 2020). This primary objective of this study is to investigate how dynamic revetments with different D50 reshape under various wave conditions.