Deltaressystems design and analysis tools

Design tool coastal structures

BREAKWAT is useful for everyone who, even if occasional, is involved in the conceptual design of coastal structures, for example by teaching (universities), designing (consultants), testing (research institutes) or constructing (contractors). BREAKWAT is an ideal tool for those who wish to apply the results of the latest research and development and wish to do this quickly and efficiently.

General

BREAKWAT is a conceptual design tool for several types of coastal structures under wave loading. Rubble mound breakwaters with armour layers of rock material or concrete units, berm breakwaters, vertical caisson structures, reef type structures and near-bed structures can be designed using BREAKWAT up to a conceptual design stage.

The first version of BREAKWAT has been released by WL | Delft Hydraulics (the predecessor of Deltares) at the end of the 1980’s. Since then BREAKWAT has been widely used by a large group of users at contractors, engineering companies, universities, research institutes, etc. throughout the world. New developments in the design of coastal structures, as well as software developments in general have been incorporated in BREAKWAT. In the future, BREAKWAT will be updated with new design formulae based on recent and future laboratory and field research.

Formulae

BREAKWAT uses state-of-the-art design formulae to perform calculations of the hydraulic response:

• wave height distribution
• wave run-up
• wave overtopping (empirical formulae and neural network)
• wave transmission
• wave reflection

and of the structural response:

• stability of main armour layer of rock material
• stability of main armour layer of concrete units
• stability of rear side (with and without crest elements)
• stability of toe berm
• wave forces on caisson structures

of several types of structures:

• rubble mound breakwaters
• berm breakwaters (profile development)
• vertical (caisson) breakwaters
• low crested structures
• reef type structures and near-bed structures

vertical (caisson) breakwaters

Purchase or lease

For more information on this subject, please go to FAQ

Animation