New breakwater of Genoa: Application of a vine-copula model in probabilistic design

The authorities of the Port of Genoa have requested the construction of a new vertical breakwater for the Sampierdarena canal, as well as the subsequent demolition of part of the existing breakwater. The reason for this project is the need to expand the size of the canal, to allow larger vessels to safely use it. A choice is made for a vertical...

On the mean overtopping rate of rubble mound structures

Estimation of the mean overtopping discharge is a major task in the design and assessment of the crest level of rubble mound structures such as breakwaters and seawalls. The tolerable mean overtopping rates are given based on the associated risk and wave characteristics. Several empirical formulas have been developed for the prediction of...

A practical assessment of the impact of using multivariate statistical models in the design of coastal infrastructure

Offshore and coastal infrastructure must be designed to withstand loading conditions that among others arise from extreme environmental conditions. Physical processes such as storm surges, tides, currents, and waves play an important role in the design of these structures. Several variables characterize the relevant physical processes (e.g....

A vine-based approach for defining critical infrastructure loads: Designing a breakwater in Galveston Bay, Texas

The design of offshore and coastal infrastructures, sand nourishment and other ’soft’ coastal interventions require the analysis of environmental variables (e.g. wind, waves, rainfall) that can potentially cause the failure of such structures. Processes such as overtopping, beach erosion, and coastal flooding can result from a combined action of...

A parametric approach to a probabilistic design of rubble mound slope protection

When designing hydraulic structures, engineers follow a structured and predetermined set of design phases, referred to as the design process. Within this process, the preliminary design phase is a highly iterative process, which requires many calculations. From these calculations many different initial designs of the structure are derived....