Permeable Sponge Breakwater (P.S.B) is a wave attenuating (through absorption) structure. It is an alternative solution to conventional rubble mound or caisson breakwaters which could be characterized as sea-walls which almost totally reflect the wave energy.
One of its most pronounced characteristics is its independence of fill materials, the quarrying (or dredging) of which may endanger ecosystems and nature or landscape preserves.
The P.S.B is based on the ‘periodic hyperbolic cubic surface’ geometry and should be realized as a monolithic modular concrete shell structure.
Its special sponge morphology and inner bonding insures enhanced load distribution and therefore can resist exceptional external loads and hydrodynamic impacts of the sea
waves.
This concept was put to testing, with a reduced scale model in the wave channel (flume) of the Israel Coastal And Marine Engineering Research Institute (Cameri) at the Technion, I.1.T.
The results clearly show that the tested permeable wave attenuator absorbs a major part of the wave energy (~80%), thus improving its performance and reduces drastically the load stresses on and within
the structure. Great attention and effort was invested in developing insights into the morphological nature of the sponge surfaces, the possible methods of their production and assembly on site, and accompanying techno- economical considerations.
The possibility to invest the P.S.B. structure with floatability can play an important role in the logistics of its production, assembly and construction on site.