STABILITY OF MULTI-LAYER TETRAPOD MOUND BREAKWATERS AGAINST SOLITARY WAVES USING THE SMOOTHED PARTICLE HYDRODYNAMICS MEHTOD (SPH)

The purpose of employing artificial armour blocks in the construction of a mound breakwater is to enhance the overall stability of the system by maximising the interlocking effects among the units, offering distinct advantages over traditional rock structures of similar weights and apparent sizes. However, a balance must be achieved between the gaps and openings within the breakwater layout, as they play a crucial role in wave dissipation. On top of this, the coupled interplay between service and survival performance is challenging to explore in depth using conventional methods such as experiments and data- driven models. Here, high-fidelity numerical modelling can step in to complement research assessments. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an SPH-based fluid solver in modelling the behaviour of a fully deployed breakwater under extreme wave conditions. It leverages experimental data to validate the DualSPHysics software, which simulates the response of concrete Tetrapod (Daniel 1962) units that compose a breakwater when subjected to an modelled tsunami bore flow replicated using a solitary wave.