Geotechnical Engineering Journal of the SEAGS & AGSSEA ISSN 0046-5828
Vol. 45 No.4 December 2014
Tsunami-Seabed-Structure Interaction from Geotechnical and Hydrodynamic Perspectives
S. Sassa
ABSTRACT: The paper reports some recent research advances on tsunami-seabed-structure interaction following the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami, Japan. It presents a concise review of the latest research performed on the stability of breakwater foundation under tsunami by utilizing a geotechnical centrifuge and a large-scale hydro flume at Port and Airport Research Institute. I highlight here the role of tsunami-induced seepage in piping/boiling, erosion and bearing capacity decrease and failure of the rubble/seabed foundation. A comparison and discussion are made on the stability assessment for the design of tsunami-resistant structures on the basis of the results from both geo-centrifuge and large-scale hydrodynamic experiments.
KEYWORDS: Breakwaters, Geo-centrifuge, Large-scale hydro flume, Seepage, Tsunami
