Fabrication, Installation And Field Test Procedures For A Pipe-Tire Floating Breakwater

A pipe-tire floating breakwater is currently being field tested in Presque Isle Bay, Erie, PA. Subassemblies of the breakwater were fabricated in three different configurations, two of which are being reported for the first time. Techniques are described for the launching and towing of the breakwater subassemblies to the mooring site using standard marina equipment. Final on-site assembly of the breakwater sections into an integral unit was facilitated by the positive buoyancy characteristics of the truck tire-cladded pipes which permitted personnel to move about on the structure. A field test site has been configured to obtain the wave transmission characteristics of the device and uses newly developed instrumentation for measuring, in real-time, the direction of wave advance, significant wave height and significant wave period parameters. Observations are reported on the behavior of the breakwater during the winter season.