Omdurman Islamic University
UNESCO Chair in Water Resources
Master Degree Program in
Water Resources Development and Management
Course Title: River Mechanics
Lecture 1: 5 Jetties and breakwaters Dec. 2022
PURPOSE OF JETTIES
Jetties are usually placed at the mouth of a river or entrance to
a bay to aid in deepening stabilizing channel or the benefit of
navigation. Properly located jetties will confine the discharge
area, promote scour, and extend into deep water the point
where the current slackens and transported material is
deposited. Jetties also protect the ship channel from waves
and cross-currents and from longshore sand movements.
TYPES OF JETTIES
Factors which influence the type of Jetty and design of the structure
include:
The physical characteristics of the site area and its exposure to
wind, wave, currents, and tides;
Possibility of ice damage;
meteorological conditions and their effect on water conditions
and currents;
Sea conditions including the determination of maximum wave
which should be designed for and littoral currents which may
affect sand movements in the locality.
The seven general types of jetties are briefly described as follows:
(1) Random stone:
A rubble-mound structure is in fact a long mound of random
stone. The larger pieces are placed on the outer face to afford
protection from destructive waves, and the smaller sized stones
are placed in the interior of the structure. This type is adaptable to
any depth, may be placed on any kind of bottom, and absorbs the
wave energy with little reflected wave action. This type requires
relatively large amounts of material. If not carried high enough,
storm waves may sweep entirely over the jetty and cause a
secondary wave action in the protected area, and if the voids
between the stone are too large a considerable portion of the wave
energy may pass through the structure. Cross-sections of two
random stone structures are shown in Fig. 1.
يي
(2) Stone and concrete type
is a combination of rubblestone and concrete. This type ranges from
a rubble-mound structure, in which the voids in the upper portion of
the rubble are filled with concrete, to massive concrete
superstructure on rubble-mound substructure. The mound is used
either as a foundation for a high concrete superstructure or as the
main structure surmounted by a concrete cap with vertical,
stepped, or inclined face. This type requires less material, and is
used where the foundation is soft or subject to scour. The
superstructure may be undermined by wave recoil down the
face; rubble foundations require time to become permanently
stable and should be placed years before the superstructure.
This type of Jetty, when properly designed and constructed,
gives very satisfactory service. Cross-sections of stone and
concrete jetties are shown in Figs. 2
ييي
3) Caisson type:
The first caissons were built of iron but today they are
built of concrete, floated into position. settled upon a
prepared foundation, filled with stone to give stability,
then capped with cap stones or concrete slab, and,
occasionally, parapet walls are added.
اا
اا
4) Sheet pile types
include timber, concrete, and steel sheet ,pile structures. Timber is not
suitable where marine borers can exist. Use of concrete piling is restricted
by driving limitations. Steel sheet piling is used in several types of
structures such as a single row of piling, with or without buttresses; two
parallel rows with cross walls, and the cells thus formed filled with suitable
material; and cellular steel sheet pile structures. The cellular type structure
is widely used for breakwaters in the Great Lakes area. The life expectancy
of steel piling depends upon water conditions at site. Steel piling may be
used on any foundation where piling can be driven, permits rapid
construction, but is subject to damage by sudden and unexpected storms
during construction.
(5) Crib types are built of timber, and some of the
compartments are floored. The cribs are floated into
position, settled upon a prepared foundation by loading the
floored compartments, after which all compartments are
filled with stone. The structure is then capped with a timber
superstructure which is usually replaced by concrete when
the timber decays.
(6) Solid-fill jetties
are sometimes required to stop sand movement as well as
direct currents. A core of well-graded stone, having a
minimum of voids, with a cover of larger stone and an
armour of heavy rubblestone is a common type. Caisson and
sheet-pile structures are two other types of solid-fill
structures.
(7) Asphaltic materials have been used to fill the voids of
rubblestone structures above the low-water line. The record
of such structures is not impressive
ff
f
ss
ss
ss
𝑾𝒓. 𝑯𝟑
𝒘=
𝒌𝑫 . 𝑺𝒓 − 𝟏 𝟑 . 𝒄𝒐𝒕𝜽
Sr not
End of Lecture
