Science and technology
working with nature- civil and hydraulic engineering to aspects of real world problems in water and at the waterfront - within coastal environments
This piece is about the varieties of Coastal Civil Engineering (CCE) works we all see – when visiting seafront to relax, to feel the warmth of ocean in continuous pounding of waves, or when seeing vessels navigating in and out of ports and harbors. These works result from engineering efforts that have three well-known tenets of civil engineering: coastal hydraulic engineering (or simply Coastal Engineering), coastal structural engineering and geotechnical engineering (structural and geotechnical are often lumped together as structures engineering). Coastal hydraulic engineering term is sort of a misnomer – because it not only covers analysis, modeling and determination of hydrodynamic forces caused by water, water level rise and fall, current, wave and bed-level changes – but also includes similar activities due to wind forcing. The combined effects caused by wind and water are known as metocean processes and forces. Before moving further it is important to build into our concept the extent of geographical area where civil engineering is referred to as CCE (to avoid confusion, CE is reserved to denote Civil Engineering). This area termed as the coastal zone – extends from the inland topographical limit reached by major storm surges and tsunamis to the continental shelf break. Continental shelf mostly of turquoise water, having an average bottom slope of some 1V:100H extends from the shoreline to a seaward line where the slope abruptly dips down into the ocean at about 1V:40H or steeper. This line begins roughly in the region where waves of about ≥ 10 seconds will start feeling the bottom – consequently being subjected to the transformative processes of refraction and shoaling (see Wave Transformation piece on this page). Generally, mariners call the blue ocean beyond continental shelf – high seas. The definitions of inland limit vary among countries – and depend on several criteria such as: technical, legal, administrative, disaster management and hazard insurance – but they all invariably include coastal waterways, river mouths, estuaries and bays. I have discussed many aspects of CCE in different pieces on the NATURE and SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (S & T) pages. Thought a piece of introductory nature will complement those. . . . In the US Submerged Land Act (1953) a coastline is defined as: the line of ordinary low water along that portion of the coast which is in direct contact with the open sea and the line marking the seaward limit of inland waters. The same Act defines coastal submerged land under the jurisdiction of coastal States as: navigable waters, and lands beneath, within the boundaries of the respective coastal states out to 3 nautical miles from its coastline. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA 1953) defines federal jurisdiction on coastal oceans as: all submerged lands lying seaward of state submerged lands and waters (e.g. outside shelf lands seaward of 3 nautical miles). Perhaps it is useful to add a brief on the legal definition of Maritime Boundary. Part of this brief is based on my 1994 IEB paper: On the Formulation of Coastal Zone Management Plan for Bangladesh. The following definitions of the boundaries are agreed upon by signatory countries (including the land-locked countries which are given the right to claim maritime transport access through their coastal neighbor) at the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1987). It was developed and refined within the framework of the UN – during a period from 1970 to 1984.
. . . There are other names addressing the same problems of CCE but focusing on some particular aspects: like port and harbor engineering, maritime engineering (coined first in European literature), and marine engineering. The last term is loosely applied in civil engineering to describe in-water works – but its root mainly lies in describing mechanical-electrical engineering, navigation and naval architectural aspects of seafaring vessels. Ocean engineering, oceanographical engineering and offshore engineering terms are also used to describe works in coastal and deep waters. Offshore engineering term is primarily applied to describe isolated in-water works in deep water – like oil terminals and marine pipelines. There are many definitions of CCE – different in wording but common in contents. Let us attempt to define it in this piece as: CCE refers to the practice of planning, designing and effects assessment of civil engineering works for the protection and preservation of, and developments (water-front townships and cities, recreation, marine transports and installations, and value-adding improvements) within the coastal zone. The history of CCE is briefly discussed in the Resistance to Flow on this page – it is a fairly new discipline – the official recognition and definition was launched only about 70 years ago – at the First Conference on Coastal Engineering held in Long Beach, California in 1950. Coming back to the definition – one can see that it relies on the understandings of two other terms: civil engineering, and engineering. There are many definitions of these two terms in literature, but I prefer using the following two. According to The National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council: engineering is the study and practice of designing artefacts and processes under the constraints of the laws of nature or science and time, money, available materials, ergonomics (it is the process of designing or arranging workplaces, products and systems to satisfy the needs of people who use them) environmental regulations, manufacturability, and repairability. In NAP #12635 Publication the following texts elucidate the understanding of engineering practices in a very detailed and useful manner (I have rearranged the lines somewhat for clarity). Engineering “habits of mind” (refer to the values, attitudes, and thinking skills associated with engineering; AAAS 1990) align with what many believe are essential skills for citizens in the 21st century. These include: (1) Systems Thinking: systems thinking equips students to recognize essential interconnections in the technological world and to appreciate that systems may have unexpected effects that cannot be predicted from the behavior of individual subsystems; (2) Creativity: creativity is inherent in the engineering design process; (3) Optimism: optimism reflects a world view in which possibilities and opportunities can be found in every challenge and an understanding that every technology can be improved. Engineering is a “team sport”; (4) Collaboration: collaboration leverages the perspectives, knowledge, and capabilities of team members to address a design challenge; (5) Communication: communication is essential to effective collaboration, to understanding the particular wants and needs of a “customer,” and to explaining and justifying the final design solution; and (6) Attention to Ethical Considerations: ethical considerations draw attention to the impacts of engineering on people and the environment; ethical considerations include possible unintended consequences. The 2008 ASCE BOK2 (Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century, 2nd ed.) defines and elaborates civil engineering as: the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and physical sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize, economically, the materials and forces of nature for the progressive well-being of humanity in creating, improving and protecting the environment, in providing the facilities for community living, industry and transportation, and in providing structures for the use of humanity. All these definitions are quite lengthy, but they were developed to cover all different aspects – from scientific, technical, ethical-legal, and societal perspectives. . . . I have written in the Creativity and Due Diligence piece that, CCE as a creative profession has the role . . . in the discipline of civil/hydraulic engineering, applied science provides the baseline knowledge on data and analysis, while technology provides tested products and materials. The role of an engineer is to find solutions to a given problem using resources from these two sources. To do it successfully, it is important for engineers to understand the necessary basics of the S & T. Failing in this matter affects the soundness of an engineer’s judgment. Therefore engineers are part of the S & T endeavors by being intricately involved in the development and progress – sometimes working at the forefront, but most often in the practical applications of science and technological advances to the real-world problems . . . And to accomplish that, engineers by and large, and perhaps more than any other profession – spend a significant portion of their time on computing to create acceptable, defensible and implementable solutions in quantitative terms – using slide rule in earlier times (until about 1970s) to the scientific calculators and personal computers in modern times. Perhaps it is helpful to enumerate some of the sub-disciplines commonly included in the coastal engineering envelope. The first group (a-group) of activities includes those – aimed at establishing critical planning and design conditions and criteria by envisioning the most probable operational and design loading scenarios, uncertainties and risks for various interventions/structures (these structures not only include hard measures of concrete, steel and stones; but also soft structures like beach nourishment and coastal vegetation/tree barriers) based on analysis and modeling of various environmental parameters. This group includes: (1a) hydrodynamics: water level, current, and wave; (2a) wind climate and storms; and (3a) sedimentary climate: coastal geology and sediment transport processes. The second group (b-group) of activities utilizes the first – for planning, designing and assessing the effects and risks of: (1b) coastal zone development and value adding; (2b) coast and shore preservation and protection; (3b) intakes and outfalls; (4b) dredging and spoil disposal; (5b) coastal waterfront and marine terminal structures, including marina; (6b) offshore and pipeline structures; and (7b) port and harbor developments and structures. I have included an image of the coastal envelope showing the discussed disciplines. As indicated earlier, Water Modeling is an integral part of CCE activities. . . . An engineering project starts with a very limited knowledge – starting from that the project moves forward to develop criteria, conditions, specifications, etc. in distinct phases of activities. At the first of three phases – the Conceptual Phase (known as Pre-FEED {Front End Engineering and Design} in Oil and Gas Industries) – starting from scratch problems are defined and the project is visualized, they are then translated into a complete solution package (analysis and design sketches, alternatives, economics, etc) – only at a high level by utilizing available regional and site-specific (mostly unavailable) information. This phase is usually preceded by very high level technical feasibility and economic viability studies. At the next phase – known as the Preliminary Phase (FEED in Oil and Gas Industries) – the conceptual package is critically reviewed, a site-specific information base is established by measurements and modeling, new alternatives are generated, and the conceptual package is revised and updated – but the issued design sketches and specifications are not yet ready for implementation. At the Final or Detailed Phase – a final critical review of the preliminary package is undertaken – updated and refined where necessary, usually no new alternatives are generated – construction, monitoring and supervision methodologies are laid out by detailing each nut & bolt – and the final design sketches and specifications are issued for implementation with the consultant having the additional task of selecting a contractor. The above phases are usually conducted by different engineering consulting firms for better accommodation of talents and ideas, but often the final phase is eliminated entirely for large projects – by combining the final design and construction into a single package. One prominent form of this system is known as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction or EPC method, where the contractor is responsible for the final design, procurement of materials, and delivering the finished functioning product to the client. To assist and oversee the EPC contractor activities – the project owner usually engages a specialist firm known as the Project Management Consultants (PMC). Apart from these, there are many other consulting, contracting and management terms used in different project phases and construction – and they are usually not the same across civil engineering projects – but vary according to types, even from one country to another. . . . A little note on design criteria – they refer to the parameters that must be applied as a minimum for designing project elements; and mostly include: (1) environmental metocean forcing functions, (2) configuration and layout, (3) structural material strength, durability, etc (4) structure-geotechnical, (5) construction and construction foot-prints, (6) operation and maintenance, (7) economics, (8) safety and emergency access, (9) ergonomics, and (10) environmental effects. Some of these criteria are established by scientific and engineering analyses; others come from certified standards and codes; and client and regulatory requirements. Any lapses in not taking proper account of the above criteria constitute a failure. . . . Having clarified the meanings of different terms let us move on to the rest. Let me begin by listing some of the major works identified with coastal engineering. The list is long – I am tempted to provide a brief outline of some important works that are applied worldwide affording developments of manuals, standards and codes (see more in The Grammar of Industrialization):
On Science of Nature Page: Ocean Waves; Sea Level Rise - the Science; Coastal River Delta; Linear Waves; Nonlinear Waves; Spectral Waves; Turbulence; Coastal Water; The Hydraulics of Sediment Transport; Waves - Height, Period and Length; Warming Climate and Entropy; Characterizing Wave Asymmetry On Science & Technology Engineering Page: Common Sense Hydraulics; Uncertainty and Risk; Transformation of Waves; Resistance to Flow; Water Modeling; Sea Level Rise - the Consequences and Adaptation; Tsunami and Tsunami Forces; Storm Surge; The Surf Zone; Wave Forces on Slender Structures; Ship Motion and Mooring Restraints; Wave Structure Interactions & Scour; The World of Numbers and Chances; Managing Coastal Inlets; Propwash; Flood Barrier Systems; Breakwater; Harbor Sedimentation; Uncertainty Propagation in Wave Loadings; Force Fields in a Coastal System; Coastal Ocean Currents off Rivermouths; The Grammar of Industrialization - Standards, Codes and Manual; Coastal Water Level . . . How does one characterize the failure of a structure – like the listed ones? Failures generally fall into 4 basic types: (a) environmental load failure (the cause for this failure is attributed to the exceedence or unexpected occurrence of design loads and loading conditions), (b) functional or ergonomic failure (although the structural integrity remains intact, the structure fails to provide its designed operations, functions or performance), (c) structural failure and (d) geotechnical failure. The last two could have the following 3 causes:
There are many more features of CCE, but for the sake of brevity, I like to stop at this, only to point out one very important aspect. Coastal structures are not like a tall building standing on a dry land – and they should not be treated as such. Because of their exposed location in water or at the water-front, they continuously come under attack by the dynamic and uncertain metocean forcing – from regular to extreme. They must withstand different aspects of the force fields - during construction and operational lifetime, as well as face the consequences of uncertain fluid-structure interaction processes, and have to cause minimum impacts on the surrounding environments. Therefore the role of a coastal engineer is very crucial – not only in the establishment of design and operational conditions and criteria, but also during the process of planning, design and construction. Lack of effective coordination, cooperation and concordance among various disciplines – or perhaps in not recognizing the proper roles required of certain disciplines – could lead to earning bad reputation, and to risks of incurring serious economic losses. . . . I like to finish this piece with some lines of poetry written by a seemingly unknown amateur poet, but the poem was made significant by Saint Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997; Nobel Peace Prize 1979; Bharat Ratna 1980; Sainthood 2016) who displayed it in her office. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered Love them anyway. . . . Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth Give the world the best you have anyway. . . . What motivation went into such portrayals of the societies we live in – and the strength and courage the poet was asking for? One can hardly afford not to like the poem – but perhaps more so by a personality none other than Mother Teresa – because it tells all about her life and experience. . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 5 February 2019
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Dr. Dilip K Barua
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