SCOUR PROTECTION AROUND A SINGLE SLENDER PILE EXPOSED TO WAVES

Abstract

The study of the scour around a monopile foundation and, in particular, the evaluation of the performance of alternative scour protection systems made of geotextile sand containers (GSCs) are here presented. Different configurations of the scour protection system were experimentally analyzed. The scour protection efficiency has been tested with both regular and random waves. A design dynamic formula for the scour protections is developed based on the stability of the GSC and, hence, on the evaluation of the weight of the geotextile sand container by means of the stability number. A damage level has been defined and related with the modified stability number. The paper provides useful information for the design of the scour protections made of geotextile sand containers, for the evaluation of the performance of such systems in terms of scour reduction, sinking and damage level of the scour protections.