This code of practice provides guidelines for the planning, layout, design, construction, and maintenance of shore protection structures. It covers various types like seawalls, groynes, and revetments, focusing on the data required and principles for protecting coastlines from erosion.
Provides guidance on the planning, design, and construction of various shore protection structures like seawalls, groynes, and revetments.
Quick Reference Values
Typical rubble-mound seawall slope1V:1.5H to 1V:5H (depending on armour type and wave climate)
Recommended groyne lengthNot to extend beyond the limit of effective onshore-offshore sediment movement
Typical groyne spacing1 to 3 times the groyne length from the shoreline
Recommended crest freeboard above Still Water Level (SWL)1.25 to 1.5 times the design wave height (H)
Key Formulas
W = (γ_r * H^3) / (K_D * (S_r - 1)^3 * cot(α)) — Hudson's formula for stable weight (W) of armour units
Practical Notes
This code is a high-level guidance document; successful design requires extensive site-specific data (hydrographic, geotechnical, meteorological) and specialist engineering judgment.
Designs must account for the structure's impact on adjacent coastal areas. Shore protection works can often cause or accelerate downdrift erosion.
The principles are dated (1979), and modern practice often incorporates advanced numerical modeling for wave transformation and sediment transport, which is not covered here.