Wave-Induced Liquefaction Around Breakwaters

Model experiments were conducted to research the effect of liquefaction on breakwaters built on silty soils. The pore pressures in the silty soil under the breakwater were measured by flush-mounted pressure transducers during the exposure of the model to regular waves used as cyclic loading. In this research, some methods to prevent liquefaction were also used to observe the effect of them on the change in pore water pressures. Three experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, no soil improvement was made; in the second one, six stone columns, which were placed between the failure arc and the toe of the breakwater, were used to increase drainage. Lastly in the third experiment a non-woven PP geotextile was placed between the failure arc and the toe of the breakwater. The geotextile has delayed the liquefaction remarkably at the toe of the breakwater.