Closim, a simulation program on the closure of tidal basins

Abstract

The program CLOSIM has been written to simulate the practice of the closure of tidal basins. It has not been the aim of the program to provide a new design application or to have any scientific value with respect to the results of the calculations. The simulations should rather give insight in the way closures take place, and in the problems that might be encountered when closing the connection between a tidal basin and the sea. In chapter 1, the user is introduced in the practice of the closure of tidal basins; the main phenomena of the subject are discussed. In the chapters 2 to 6, the calculations which have been done for the simulation program have been explained in detail. It should be kept in mind that most of the assumptions and calculations are based on rough estimations and do not give more than just an impression of the parameters and variables they deal with. The boundary conditions of the calculations and the way of schematizing them for the simulation program, have been considered in chapter 3. A lot of the geotechnical information presented has not been included in the program yet. Chapter 3 also covers the calculations of levels, flows and current velocities, of which the analytical derivation is presented in Appendix A. The calculation of the construction activities (decreasing the flow area) is dealt with in chapter 4. The complex geometrie calculations which translate a dumped volume of material into a dam advancement, have been described in Appendix B. The theory which has been applied to determine the loss of dam material (increasing the flow area), is explained in chapter 5 and Appendix C. Chapter 6 accounts for the scour at the end of the hottom protection, which can cause the bottom protection and eventually the structure itself to collapse. In chapter 7 general recommendations have been given for extension of the calculation procedures in future versions of the program.