Hydrodynamic and Geotechnical Stability of Geo-Tube and Gabion Armored Embankment

This paper presents a detailed study about hydrodynamic and geotechnical characteristics of sand-filled geotextile tube with gabion boxes as an embankment for Coastal Protection. Geotextile tube commonly used in civil, hydraulics, and coastal structures for various aspects such as reinforcement, filter, drainage, and soil retention. Geotube offers more economical alternative compared to that of conventional sea wall which is made up of stone armors and artificial concrete blocks as armor units for shore protection. The serviceability and efficiency of geotextile tube is the primary factor which quantifies the design life of the embankment. Standalone geotextile tube structure in the coastal application has issues of sand loss, and sand bypass from the contained structure under the extreme waves, ocean currents and waves. Hydrodynamic force leads the structural deformations and settlement further led to geotechnical instability. Failure due to hydrodynamic forces avoided by adopting proper dimensions and suitable weight for gabion box. To mitigate the failure graded sand were used as infill material for filling geotextile tube to construct the core and gabion box protected as armor. Hydrodynamic stability of geotextile tube armored embankment was examined on the field condition. Geotechnical stability is analyzed numerically using Plaxis 2D for differential water pressure. The field and numerical results about geotextile tube embankment reveal good hydrodynamic and Geotechnical stability.