Wake lengths and structural responses of Korean general artificial reefs

General artificial reefs (ARs) have been used as standard artificial reefs in Korean waters since 1971. It is believed that the structural responses of the ARs are sound enough in 2 m/s water flow and the wake regions are wide enough to attract marine bio creatures. However, no one has yet scientifically investigated the structural responses and wake regions of the general ARs due to the lack of interest and expertise. Moreover, the material types and sizes of the recently approved general ARs have been extended; hence, it is necessary to capture their behaviors and to establish a guideline for a further development and design. This study focuses on 24 representative ARs to investigate their wake regions and structural responses. For the purpose, numerical flow analyses have been carried out by modeling the 24 representatives and obtaining wake lengths, deformations, and stresses. It is shown that the wake lengths increase as AR heights increase, with a higher correlation. However, no correlations are shown between the wake lengths and flow velocities. Also, it is found that the complex type ARs have relatively larger structural responses than the other types because they are mainly made of structural steel frames and plates.