Goals:
In Portugal rubble-mound breakwaters are the most common harbour protection structures. Since 1985, the Portuguese Civil Engineering Laboratory is in charge of the periodic visual inspection of most of these structures (which are under IPTM´s jurisdition).
Due to their characteristics, these structures are designed under the proviso that maintenance and repair works will certainly be needed during the structure’s life. The cost of the structure, its expected behaviour, as well as the consequences of its failure on the sheltering of the harbour basin, do justify the existence of a monitoring programme which helps in the decision making process relative to the timing of the maintenance, or even repair, works.
When this work started, 19 breakwaters were inspected periodically. Nowadays this number climbed to 30. These structures are located in 16 ports and marinas in Mainland Portugal (see figure).
The main goal of this study is the monitoring of the structure’s behaviour, through the analysis of the data collected during the annual monitoring campaigns performed by LNEC.
This monitoring campaigns led to the development of a database that is continuously updated ( the ANOSOM database) which stores both the breakwater’s historical data and the results from the visual observation campaigns.
More important than storing those results, is the ANOSOM database ability to combine them with adequate criteria in order to produce the diagnosis of the structure’s status and to give guidance on the need for repair works.
Team:
Luis Gabriel Silva
João Alfredo Santos
Rute Lemos
Publications (in portuguese)
Papers
- SILVA, L.G.; LEMOS, R. - Observação sistemática de obras marítimas. Base de dados ANOSOM. 4ªs Jornadas Portuguesas de Engenharia Costeira e Portuária. Angra do Heroísmo, Outubro 2005.
- LEMOS, R.; GONÇALVES, A.; SANTOS, J.; SILVA, L. RAMALHO, J. - Base de Dados de Inspecções de Quebra-Mares de Taludes. 7º Simpósio de Hidráulica e Recursos Hídricos dos Países de Expressão Portuguesa – SILUSBA. Évora, Junho de 2005.
- LEMOS, R.; SANTOS, J.A.. - "ANOSOM - Análise da observação sistemática de obras marítimas”. 5ºas Jornadas de Engenharia Costeira e Portuária, Lisboa, Outubro de 2007.