ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF REINFORCED EARTH WALL FOR SHORE PROTECTION SYSTEM AGAINST TSUNAMI

The evaluation and design of coastal shore protection works for tsunamis assumed considerable importance following the impact of the 26th December 2004 tsunami in India and other countries of Asia. The lack of proper guidelines made matters worse and resulted in the great damage that occurred. Subsequent surveys indicated that scour resulting from high water velocities was one of the prime reasons in the damage of simple structures. In some cases, it became apparent that sea walls were helpful in minimizing the degree of damage. The objective of the present study is to illustrate how proper design analysis for expected wave heights as well as the use of flexible systems such as geocells, are likely to provide better shoreline protection. Protective systems can be designed that can withstand wave forces that correspond to a variety of incidence probabilities. The present study illustrates such an analytical design approach that is necessary for a shoreline protection system and provides references to relevant wave height data for the east coast of India.