Physical Study on Scouring and Silting Deformation of the Artificial Beach Under Wave Actions

The restoration of the natural beaches or the construction of artificial beaches has become the common concern of the coastal countries and regions worldwide. However, the deformation of beach profile under the action of waves and tides, due to the limitation in engineering survey, is difficult to predict. In this paper, a series of laboratory experiments are conducted in a wave-current basin to examine the erosion and siltation deformation of a typical artificial beach in Taiyang Bay, Rizhao City, Shandong Province. The influences of wave actions in diverse directions, return periods, constant water level and variable water level are analyzed. The results indicate that the larger wave return period and larger wave height, the greater intensity of the erosion, the greater loss amount of the sediment, accompanied with the transform of beach profile varying from the common wave type into the storm surge mode. The toe of the beach surface would experience the most serious siltation, whereas the most violent erosion occurred in the central area. The applicability of the slope of 1:34 is verified under either the common oceanic environment or the severe storm surge, which could provide scientific reference for the artificial beach design.