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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/3423| Title: | Laboratory study of equilibrium profiles of beaches |
| Authors: | United States. Army. Office of the Chief of Engineers Rector, Ralph L. |
| Keywords: | Beach Erosion Beach Profiles Sediments Sand |
| Publisher: | United States, Beach Erosion Board Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | Technical memorandum (United States. Beach Erosion Board) ; no. 41. |
| Description: | Technical Memorandum From the Introduction: One step toward resolving the complexities of beach erosion problems is the determination of the shape of the beach profile when it has reached a condition of substantial equilibrium under attack by waves of constant characteristics. The relationships between these equilibrium profiles and the characteristics of the waves and the beach material are of an extremely complicated nature. The determination of these relationships is further complicated partly because of the inadequacy of the readily measured variables to describe completely the interrelation of wave action and sand movement, and also by chance or accidental variations that do not appear to follow any natural laws. The primary factors involved are the characteristics (height, length and period) of waves acting upon the shore; the characteristics of material (particle size, shape and density) forming the surface of the bed subjected to wave action; and changes in the elevation of the water surface with respect to the land. The variability of these factors in nature is quite complex, and accurate measurement, particularly of wave characteristics, is difficult. Consequently a complete study of this nature in the field would be virtually impossible. Study under controlled conditions in the laboratory remains as the only feasible method for initial investigations of the basic relationships. Even in the laboratory, the investigation is limited since the size of beach material used cannot be reduced in the same proportion as the wave dimensions. This paper reports the results of experiments using regular trains of waves of laboratory size with varying height-length ratios, and four sizes of natural beach sand to determine, subject to these limitations, the physical factors controlling the equilibrium profile of a beach and the interrelations of these factors. The effects of irregular waves and changes in water levels will be the subject of subsequent reports. |
| Rights: | Approved for Public Release, Distribution is Unlimited |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/3423 |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Memorandum |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEB-TM-41.pdf | 19.83 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |