Stability analysis of a composite breakwater at Yantai port, China: An application of FSSI-CAS-2D

In offshore areas, quaternary loose seabed soils widely distribute around the world, and a great number of offshore structures actually have been constructed on quaternary seabed floors. In practical engineering, it is highly necessary to evaluate the stability of offshore structures built on quaternary seabed floors under the impact of extreme ocean waves. Based on the VARANS equation and the dynamic Biot's equation, an integrated numerical model FSSI-CAS 2D has been developed by Ye et al. (2013b) to investigate the interaction between ocean waves, marine structures and their seabed foundations. In this study, taking the composite breakwater project in the west harbour zone of Yantai port in China as an engineering case, the integrated numerical model FSSI-CAS-2D is used to evaluate the stability of the composite breakwater under the impact of fortified ocean waves with a 50 years recurrence period. Computational results indicate that the composite breakwater at west harbour zone of Yantai port would be generally stable during its service life. This application demonstrates that the integrated model FSSI-CAS-2D is applicable, and suitable for practical engineering. The case study illustrated in this study can provide ocean engineers with an excellent case demonstration of engineering application, to evaluate the stability of offshore structures under the impact of extreme ocean waves.