New design method for a soft landing breakwater with piles and its large scale field loading test results

Soft landing breakwater is composed of light weight wall and base plate and the piles inserted into ground through base plate. Piles are used to improve lateral resistance of the structure. It was proposed to develop the Kumamoto Port which locates in the area of mild sea condition and on the thick weak clayey ground. First design method proposed in 1991 was much simplified and suited only for limited conditions. The limitation of existing method is clarified nowadays and a new design method was required for extension of the breakwater in Kumamoto port. A new and more rational design method for the structure was proposed by reexamining the field loading test results and conducting the laboratory model tests. Finally the large scale field loading test was conducted in the construction site in 2002 to evaluate the new design method. The tests results showed the validity of the new design method. A soft landing breakwater can be constructed inexpensively by applying the new design method.