Hydraulic Stability Of The New Cubilok™ Armour Unit On A 3:4 Slope

Abstract

The Cubilok™ (or Cubilok) is a new trademarked armour unit that has been developed in South Africa by PRDW Consulting Ports and Coastal Engineers to accommodate a wide range of breakwater designs. The Cubilok is still in its early stages of development and therefore it has not yet been applied or tested in prototype conditions. 2D Physical model tests were conducted as part of a master’s research project to investigate the stability and behaviour of the Cubilok on a 3V:4H slope. From this study, it was observed that the wave steepness has a significant influence on the performance of the Cubilok, where superior stabilities were recorded during conditions with shorter wave periods. When placed on a 3V:4H slope and with a packing density of ɸ = 0.63, the stability of the Cubilok is comparable to that of other concrete armour units, however, it is susceptible to severe settlement. Some results also showed that the settlement of the armour layer can probably be significantly reduced when the armour layer is constructed on a milder 1V:2H slope or when the packing density is increased to ɸ = 0.65.