Test the behavior of structures in a wave flume on a physical model

Your need

Rising sea levels will exacerbate coastal protection problems . Coastal structures will be subjected to more severe swell conditions. More stressed, these structures will experience greater damage and will see the level of protection they offer decrease, in particular their ability to limit wave overtopping.

Consequently, depending on the safety stakes for property and people, local authorities may be led to study reinforcements or adaptations of their protection structures . Similarly, in the context of calls for coastal engineering works, companies might want to test variants of structures in the hope of benefiting from an economic advantage compared to the basic solution. Finally, these companies may need to use physical modeling tools as part of their own R&D.

Cerema's response

Pre-dimensioning studies of coastal structures are based on very unreliable analytical formulas. As soon as the structure is important, due to its size or because of the stakes it represents in terms of public safety, the realization of physical tests to simulate the action of swells and the…