Uniformly placed single layer unreinforced concrete armor unit on and parallel to the slope of breakwater

Abstract

Rubble mound structures requires an armor layer to reduce wave force. This concrete armor unit consists of a nose section (A), a body section (C), and a tail section (D). On the right and left sides, there are wing parts (B1 and B2) that protrude in the YZ plane. The wing section (B) is integrated with the body section (C) with additional concrete thickening at the junction to reduce stress. Two interlocking systems include the wing section (B) lock as the basis for placing the nose section (A) of the other armor unit and the tail section (D) designed so the wing section (B) can rest on it.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] UNIFORMLY PLACED SINGLE LAYER UNREINFORCED CONCRETE ARMOR UNIT ON AND PARALLEL TO THE SLOPE OF BREAKWATER

[0003] Field of the Invention

[0004] This invention reveals a concrete armor unit as an outer protective layer of a breakwater structure , which is single layered and placed uni formly on and parallel to the slope of breakwater . Suit for the arm section of a breakwater, the armor layer of coastline revetments and j etty structures , and several other armor layers .

[0005] Background of the Invention

[0006] Rubble Mound Breakwater is a wave breaker consisting of a pile of natural rock armored by large rocks or speci fically designed concrete shape . The shape of this concrete armor has a signi ficant role on its hydraulic stability .

[0007] The first generation of the concrete armor geometries are relatively simple where its stability coef ficient is mainly dependent on its sel f-weight while the role of interlocking properties are very limited . Examples are Cubes , Modi fied Cubes and others . The second generation geometries are more complex ( for example : tetrapod, doles , A-Jack, and others ) , where , in combination with its sel f-weight, the role of its interlocking properties on the hydraulic stability coef ficient are starting to be larger . The third generation is single layer and random placement , where the hydraulic stability coef ficient is very dependent on its interlocking, for example : Accropode , Core-loc, Xbloc, and BPPT-lock .

[0008] The latest generation is the single layer, uni form placement with signi ficant interlocking characteristics . The Xbloc+ shape design, which is the direct improvement of the Xbloc is the pioneer of this generation unit . In reference to the document of patent number NL 2023195 Bl and number WO2018 / 052292-A1 , the hydraulic stability of Xbloc+ relies mainly on its interlocking and friction .

[0009] The Xbloc+ armor unit recommends the use of specially shaped elements for wave breakers and utili zes a complex interlocking system while featuring a vertical mid holes to reduce wave pressure . It is designed with a hydraulic stability number (s) of 2 . 5 . As it is described in the NL 2023195 Bl patent document , the Xbloc+ armor unit is placed on the breakwater slope hori zontally in such away that its body bottom base is not intact to the breakwater slope but it rests on and is supported by its nearby intact armor units . This position of indirect intact to the slope of breakwater have potentially opened less optimum hydraulic stability .

[0010] The present invention proposes a new similar type of armor unit to the prior shape ( i . e . Xbloc+ ) but with more optimum hydraulic stability . It eliminates the vertical holes of the prior shape , places the armor unit ' s bottom base intact on and parallel o the slope of breakwater, and creates interlocking points at four locations at the front , rear, left and right tips of the armor unit . In addition, design of this new concrete armor unit is also inspired by the previous invention of patent number IDP00202314658 in the view of improving and simpli fying the instal lation process on breakwater slopes .

[0011] This armor unit is designed to have optimum performance when it is placed on the trunk section of breakwater . The concurrent installation of this new armor unit on the trunk slope and of the previous invention number IDP000031532 on the head slope of a breakwater will provide signi ficant armoring for the whole parts of breakwater .

[0012] Summary of the Invention

[0013] The purpose of this invention is to provide a new design of armor unit shape which has better interlocking and stability performance relative to its prior similar type of armor units that have been described above , and is economically feasible as well .

[0014] This product invention is developed based on a combination modi fication and improvement of patents nr . NL2023195B1 , nr . IDP000031532 , and IDP00202314658 which resulted an ideal concrete armor unit with signi ficant improvement on its interlocking properties ; thi s product bas ically has a right-and-left symmetrical shape , consist of the nose (A) at the front top, tail ( D) at the rear bottom, and the right and left upper wing (B ) all the way to the base .

[0015] The advantages of this invention include having a stronger bond or stable interlocking . In figures 2 and 3 , this is obtained by placing the nose ( 1 ) to the left and right wings ( 5 ) of the neighboring armor unit and placing the left and right wings ( 13 ) to the tail ( 8 ) of the neighboring armor unit . By interlocking, the armor unit becomes more stable on the breakwater slope and a larger stability coef ficient (KD) is obtained .

[0016] The concurent application of the patent number IDP000031532 at the head of breakwater and this invention at the trunk of breakwater is suggested to save the cost and get the less total use of armor concrete material for the whole parts of any constructed breakwater . This concurent application is illustrated in Figure 9 .

[0017] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] The present invention is described in more detail in the following figures .

[0019] Figure 1 shows the main structural elements of the concrete armor unit according to the present invention .

[0020] Figure 2 shows the top view of the concrete armor unit according to the present invention .

[0021] Figure 3 shows the side view o f the concrete armor unit according to the present invention .

[0022] Figure 4 shows the bottom side view of the concrete armor unit according to the present invention .

[0023] Figure 5 shows the front side view of the concrete armor unit according to the present invention .

[0024] Figure 6 shows the isometric view of the concrete armor unit according to the present invention .

[0025] Figure 7 shows the installation of the concrete armor unit on a slope according to the present invention . Figure 8 shows the interlocking of the wing and tail of the concrete armor unit according to the present invention .

[0026] Figure 9 shows the concurrent application of the patent number IDP000031532 at the head of breakwater and this invention at the trunk of breakwater .

[0027] Detailed Description

[0028] Before the present invention is described in more detail , it is stated that similar elements are indicated by the same reference numbers throughout the disclosure .

[0029] Figure 1 is a preferred single layer armor unit , which includes a complex structure consisting of a nose section (A) , wing section (B ) , core section ( C ) and tail section ( D) . The details of each section are as shown in Table 1 .

[0030] Table 1 . Parts of the concrete armor unit

[0031] The nose of the concrete armor unit is a sharp angle with variations in slope ( 1 ) and ( 3 ) at the front to reduce wave energy and wave reflection and the slope of the side (2) to facilitate the process of removing the concrete armor layer unit from the formwork / mol ding .

[0032] The surface area of the core body is made with different slopes (2) , (3) , and (7) to add surface roughness when arranged on a slope area.

[0033] The connection between core body (C) with the wing (B) is made in such a way that the connection line between these two sections (B and C) does not form a 90° angle by adding sloping concrete plug along the connection line (12) to reduce stresses on the wing (5) imposed by the load of nearby armor unit's nose (1) that is made overlap on to the wing section. The grooves (10) and (16) are designed as an area to place the lifting sling during the installation of the armor unit on to the breakwater slope.

[0034] The wing section consists of a wing body extending along the Y axis (12) and wing legs (15) as the wing reinforcements in supporting the nose of other concrete armor units that are overlayed on it. Surface area (5) is where the nose of other concrete armor units is placed so that the first interlocking is created.

[0035] The tail section (8) serves as a place for the wings of the other concrete armor units to be placed and functions as an interlocking / lock for the two concrete armor unit to prevent free movement .

[0036] In the body of this invention there are 2 interlocking systems, namely the overlapping between the nose and wing sections and the overlapping between the wing and tail sections interconnecting the nearby concrete armor units (Figure 8) .

[0037] The concrete armor units are arranged by overlapping the wings (21) tightly to form an arrangement that generates surface roughness to reduce wave energy thereby increasing hydraulic stability and protection effectiveness. It also creates a certain porosity to reduce wave run up and reflection.

[0038] Each flat side of the armor unit has an outward slope of approximately 2°, enabling an easier molding dismantling during armor unit manufacturing processes. When installed on the slope, the bottom surface of this concrete armor unit will easily fit the slope direction while maintaining good mounting stability and interlocking .

[0039] All the concrete armor unit on the breakwater slope form a solid interlocking unit generating improved hydraulic stability is better .

[0040] In accordance to the surface coverage arrangement simulation, it can be concluded that the present proposed armor unit requires considerably less number to cover the comparable area than that requires by the patent NL2023195B1. Therefore, this invention is more economical in terms of concrete material usage.

[0041] The advantages of the present invention compared to the patent NL2023195B1 are:

[0042] 1. The number of units per unit surface area of the present invention armor is less than the patent NL2023195B1, which means the material volume usage is more economical.

[0043] Comparison of armor units numbers per unit surface area and their savings are shown as follows: a. For Breakwater Slope area of 60m x 24.5m, the unit numbers of the patent NL2023195B1 = 1,073 pieces, while the present invention = 986 pieces; saving 87 pieces. b. For Breakwater Slope area of 45m x 45m, the unit numbers of the patent NL2023195B1 = 1,344 pieces, while the present invention = 1,242 pieces; saving 102 pieces. c. For Breakwater Slope area of 30m x 55m, the unit numbers of the patent NL2023195B1 = 1,307 pieces, while the present invention = 1,008 pieces; saving 102 pieces.

[0044] The average unit numbers of the present invention from the above mentioned data = (986+1,242 + 1, 008) : 3 = 1,078 pieces. The average unit numbers of saving = (87 + 102 + 65) : 3 = 85. Therefore, the percentage difference in volume is = (85:1,078) X 100% = 7.89%.

[0045] 2. Based on the test results, this new concrete armor unit has a hydraulic stability coefficient (KD) of 20.54 in the wave period of 1.22 seconds ( Figure 10) . This is superior to the hydraulic stability figure of NL2023195B1 which was designed at stability number of Ns = 2.5 (KD = 11.71) . With a safety factor of 1.5, the hydraulic stability coefficient of the present invention concrete armor unit is taken as 13. Once constructed, the present invention armor unit is looks like more aesthetically pleasing than the NL2023195B1 patent, making it very suitable for coastal protection in coastal amusement areas.

Claims

9Claims1. A unit of unreinforced concrete armor unit which is arranged or stacked uniformly following the slope gradient forming an armor layer against wave forces consisting of:• nose section (A) , body section (C) , and tail section (D) which extend on the X axis where the side cross section of the nose section (A) to the tail section (D) is curved;• wing section (B) , which is located transversely to the nose section (A) , body section (C) , and tail section (D) ;• body section (C) , is a continuation of the nose section (A) on the X axis through which the wing section (B) passes• tail section (D) , is a continuation of the body section (C) which is located below the nose section (A) based on the X axis ; which is characterized by:• nose section (A) is the part of the concrete layer unit on the front side with a sharp angle consisting of the front nose (1) which has a profile that gets higher upwards with an angle of between 50'- to 60"- to the X axis, the nose body (3) which is an extension of the front nose (1) which has a profile that gets higher upwards but is more sloping than the front nose (1) with an angle of 9-10 to the X axis, and the nose side (2) which protrudes to the side from the front nose (1) and the nose body (3) ;• wing section (B) which is the right and left side across the nose section (A) , body section (C) and tail section (D) which consists of a flat section (4,5) as a locking point (interlocking) for the nose section (A) on the immediate nearby concrete armor units;• body section (C) which has the wing section (B) placed transversely on it, where on the front side of the body section (C) there is a curve (9) which is located under the nose section (A) and on the top side of the body section(C) it is an extension of the nose body (3) which then has a flat body section (6) with a gentle downward direction towards the nose body (3) ;• tail section (D) which on the upper side is an extension of the flat body (6) descending to the L profile (8) so that the L profile (8) functions as a foothold for the wing section (B) on the immediate nearby concrete armor units;2. The unreinforced concrete armor unit as per claim 1, wherein the base of the body portion (C) has a front curve (10) and a rear curve (16) such that it can be used as a hook for lifting operation of the concrete armor unit.

3. The unreinforced concrete armor unit as per claim 1, wherein the protective layer units are arranged closely together between the wing sections (B) , the nose section (A) locking onto the flat sections (4,5) of the wing section (B) , while the lower side of the wing section (B) locks onto the tail section (D) via the L profile (8) .

4. The concrete armor unit without reinforcement as per claim 1, wherein all flat parts of the concrete protective layer unit have a slope of 2° on the YZ plane which functions to facilitate mold removal during the production process.

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