Physical model study on geo-tube with gabion boxes for the application of coastal protection

Abstract

Shoreline erosion takes place due to the movement of sand by tides, wave actions, and wave-induced currents. The conventional techniques used for coastal protection such as artificial armor units and rubble mound are costly, and transportation is difficult in remote areas. Moreover, they may not be suitable for poor soil conditions. In this paper, the detailed physical experimental studies were carried out for a geo-tube saline embankment with ten geo-tubes in a four-layer configuration in a wave flume. This soft engineering solution may be particularly viable since the location is remote with poor soil strata. The studies include a scaled model (1:10) of geo-tube embankment with and without gabion boxes to check its possible utilization for coastal protection. The model is tested in the deep wave flume equipped with a piston type wave maker. The embankment is studied for two different water depths of 0.4 m and 0.5 m. The chosen 0.4-m water depth characterizes the high tide condition, while the 0.5-m water depth reproduces the combined high tide and storm surge conditions. The regular wave heights are varied in the range of 2 to 16 cm with a corresponding wave period of 1.5 to 2.2 s. Three probe methods are used to obtain the hydrodynamic parameters, based on which a geo-tube embankment protected with gabion box as armor is designed and constructed along the coast of Pentha (Odisha, India).