Reliability-Based Design of Vertical-Type Breakwaters Considering Varied Characteristics of Korean Marine Environment from Sea to Sea

Kim, Y.H. and Cho, Y.J., 2023. Reliability-based design of vertical-type breakwaters considering varied characteristics of Korean marine environment from sea to sea. In: Lee, J.L.; Lee, H.; Min, B.I.; Chang, J.-I.; Cho, G.T.; Yoon, J.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Multidisciplinary Approaches to Coastal and Marine Management. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 116, pp. 623-627. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. This study addresses the often-neglected aspect of wave period's inherent randomness and its significant engineering value in assessing wave- and lifting forces acting on a breaker. Probabilistic models for these forces were directly derived from long-term in-situ wave data, incorporating the diverse characteristics of the Korean marine environment that vary from sea to sea. With this probabilistic model, the authors conducted a reliability analysis of a vertical-type breaker in the seas off Haeundae, and Gunsan—locations near major ports in South and West Korea. This analysis takes into account the correlation between shore-directed wave- and lifting forces, a factor overlooked in previous studies on the reliability-based design of breakwaters. The results of the reliability analysis simulation can be summarized as follows: A notable improvement in agreement was observed when utilizing a three-parameter Weibull distribution as the underlying probability distribution. This highlights the structural differences in the Korean marine environment compared to Europe and the United States, with distinct characteristics manifesting in the probability coefficients. The introduction of a location coefficient in the three-parameter Weibull distribution offered valuable insights into the varying characteristics of the Korean marine environment from sea to sea. Consequently, this had a significant impact on the outcomes of the reliability analysis for the breakwater. The long-term in-situ wave data used in the study revealed an enhanced positive correlation between wave- and lifting forces, leading to an increased probability of failure for the breaker in all the sea areas considered in this study.