Structural damage by tsunamis

This paper presents a brief discussion of structural damage by tsunamis based primarily on damage produced by recent tsunamis along the northern California coast. Of these recent tsunamis, by far the most damaging was the one of March 1964; which caused approximately $11,000,000 damage at Crescent City, about$300,000 damage at other coastal locations, and about $200,000 damage in San Francisco Bay. At Crescent City, where the maximum runup reached about 21 feet above mean lower low water, damage was largely to wood frame structures of relatively light construction and to floating vessels. At other locations, damage was primarily to commercial fishing and pleasure vessels and associated shoreside structures. Acknowledgement i s gratefully made to the Corps of Engineers for access and permission to use data on file in the San Francisco District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the many other agencies and Individuals that gave their observations, records or photography for the writer

Design and Construction of Rubble Mound Structures: An Introduction

The design and construction of structures for the coast lines of the world must consider numerous forces and factors. These include the purpose of the structure, the design waves, the design wave climate, the material of which the structure is to be built, foundation conditions, earthquakes, tsunamis, availability of construction and maintenance equipment, availability of funds for maintenance, availability of laboratory and oceanic equipment and vessels, etc. The focus of this lecture today however, will primarily include conceptual and practical factors, including those considered in the Hudson formula for design of rubble mound structures against waves. Firstly, perhaps the most difficult question that must be answered in general coastal design is: What are the forces acting on the structure? The following subjects will be discussed: - General Concepts - Case Histories - Nested Units In conclusion, I believe that with good coastal engineering, economical rubble mound structures can be designed, built, and maintained in exposed coastal locations. However, each site must be considered individually, and additionally, research must be undertaken to fully quantify loadings, stresses and design of concrete armor units to provide stable designs with appropriate safety factors.ICCE 199

Failure of the breakwater at Port Sines, Portugal

The objectives of the Port Sines Investigation Panel were to collect perishable data on and to identify causes of the failure on February 26, 1978, of the rubble mound breakwater at Port Sines, on the Atlantic Coast of Portugal. This report is a result of that investigation. The structure is the largest of its kind in such an exposed environment, and is situated in a previously untried combination of unusually deep water and high-energy marine setting. Five simplified failure possibilities are evaluated: (1) that design criteria were exceeded by the February 1978 storm: (2) that the breakwater construction was faulty; (3) that the materials used for construction were substandard; (4) that the procedures followed during the design were incomplete or incorrect for this specific set of environmental conditions; (5) that the design was inadequate. The purpose of this investigation was not to find a crucial error or omission but to report on all possible problems, omissions, and errors that could have contributed to the failure. A description of the breakwater project is given, along with details of the design and construction of the project. The physical setting and the storm of February 26, 1978 are also described. This pdf also contains a number of photographs and drawings of the failure from other sources than the Panel report