Experimental wave flume study: the stability of an artificial reef

The objective of this master thesis is to investigate experimentally how non-breaking wave loading affects the stability of the MOSES artificial reefs, an artificial reef by the company ReefSystems. Small scale wave flume tests with a length scale factor of 20 were conducted in the Scheldt flume at Deltares in Delft to determine the stability of three physical reef models with varying characteristics under multiple wave loading conditions. Based on this, a prediction of the stability of the reef prototype was investigated.The experimental tests’ conditions were based on varying parameters (the relative wave height, wave steepness, and water depth) to obtain the broadest possible range of conditions. Variations in regular or irregular waves, with or without foreshore, water depth, wave height, and period were used for the tests. For each experimental wave flume test, it was established whether the reef was stable. The observed stability of the reef was related to the conditions during that test, determined by the resistance-type wave gauges that recorded the height of the free surface. Based on the data of the experimental flume test, a stability function was determined, giving the influence of three non-dimensional parameters (the relative wave height, the wave steepness, and the relative water depth) on the stability of that reef. The tests were also compared to two stability prediction methods; the Morison method and a prediction method based on the mobility parameter.Civil Engineering | Hydraulic Engineerin