Comparing the Behavior of Groins Constructed in the Estuary of Sefidrood River under the Wave and Earthquake Forces

Although there is considerable volume of information regarding the design loads on coastal protective structures (such as groin and breakwater)، in literature، however، the main load is taken to be the wave force and there has not been enough concern on lateral force due to earthquake. Since northern and southern coastlines of the country are located in the potentially seismic zones، investigating the behavior of coastal structures against such force is of the great importance. In this paper، the groins constructed in the estuary of Sefidrood River are modeled and analyzed under the earthquake and under wave induced loads. The main objective of this study is to obtain the suitable dimensions for groins to resist the earthquake induced lateral loads. The analyses are performed on a number of the groin’s cross sections using a multi-purpose F. E. package called ABAQUS6. 8. The results obtained from the present study indicate that in some cases and at the different locations along the groin، the earthquake forces can be as important as wave forces and it can affect the results of the analyses. The results are plotted and illustrated in such a way that to be used by designers.