Stability of Pyramid-Shaped Gabion Armor Layers for Breakwaters
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Breakwaters with pyramid-shaped gabion armor units represent an alternative coastal structure design that is permeable, economical, and environmentally friendly. This study aims to analyze the stability of pyramid-shaped gabion armor by examining damage levels, identifying key influential variables, and formulating inter-variable relationships to determine the stability coefficient (KD) across various water level elevations. The research methodology employed physical modeling in a wave flume with variations in hydrodynamic parameters, including wave height (Hi), wave period (T), water depth (d), structural slope (q), and the number of armor layers. The damage percentage was measured across various combinations of these parameters. The results indicate that wave steepness (Hi/L) significantly influences the structural damage rate during testing. Relative water depth (d/h) was found to significantly affect armor stability performance, particularly under emerged conditions (d/h < 1.0). The maximum damage level reached 6% under submerged conditions (d/h > 1.0) due to increased drag and lift forces. At the established damage criterion (1% damage), the stability coefficient (KD) values ranged from 4.9 to 23.73, depending on the structural slope and the number of pyramid gabion armor layers. Pyramid-shaped gabion units demonstrate stability performance comparable to that of conventional artificial armor units, such as Tetrapods or Dolos, offering a highly efficient and cost-effective solution for sustainable coastal engineering.
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