Breakwater for the New Port of La Coruna at Punta Langosteira. Model Testing of a Caisson Head Design.

The port of La Coruna, Spain is to be expanded by a new port at Punta Langosteria. The Port Authority of La Coruna has retained ALATEC Ingenieros Consultores y Arquitectos for the design of the new port and the new breakwater. The Hydraulic and Coastal Engineering Laboratory at Aalborg University, Denmark was asked to make model testing of a caisson solution for the head of the breakwater as an alternative to a conventional rubble mound roundhead solution. The caisson head consisted of six caissons. The objective of the testes was to study the stability of the caissons including the stability of the toe berm as well as the stability of the adjacent trunk section. The preparation of the model test, including construction and instrumentation of the caissons, casting of the special foot protection blocks, and casting of the sea-bed topography at and in the vicinity of the head, started in April 2002. The model testing were performed in the period January ? June, 2002. The analyses of the model test data were performed in the period August, 2002 ? Marts, 2003. ( Hans F. Burcharth, Per Haagensen, Alexandro Triani)