Any Engineers Here????

[SoulWinner]

Re: Any Engineers Here????

I see what you're saying Noodles. Obviously your noodle is bigger than mine I got the idea after seeing video of waves lifting a dock and tearing it apart, and I started wondering what, if anything could reduce the lifting forces of wave action on the structure. I think if i owned an expensice dock and a hurricane was coming, if I had time, I would remove all of the planks before it made landfall.

 

[jimchere]

Re: Any Engineers Here????

Hinged "blow-out" panels will reduce force on support structure.

 

[sloopy]

Re: Any Engineers Here????

SO? You remove all the planks? Then what? It will loose some of its structural integrity and be ripped apart even more by the waves.

 

[cbnoodles]

Re: Any Engineers Here????

I correct myself. An object dropped from 3 feet without any force other than gravity acting on in will be moving about 9 mph when it hits the ground. Sorry for my earlier statement; still enough to do major damage, don't you think? For an object to move at 20 mph on impact it would have to fall from about 13', which would not be unusually high for a wave in a hurricane.

 

[bomar76]

Re: Any Engineers Here????

Not to burst your bubbles, but the ramps at Alum Creek State Park have dock sections that are hinged in the fashion you stated.<br />They allow the section to rise and fall with the water levels.<br /><br />Not a marketable idea at all.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Any Engineers Here????

Didn't mean to argue with ya Noodles, I'm certainly not armed for the battle.<br /><br />Just remembered a few things from physics class and government motorcycle helmet specifications that popped into my head. And before I knew it, they were spewing forth like the Gospel at a revival.<br /><br />Heck, I wasn't even thinking about hurricanes or waves breaking on the beach. I wouldn't know where to start figuring on this project.

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Any Engineers Here????

cool discussion. i'm an ocean engineer by degree, so plenty of classes dealing with these properties- waves, longshore sediment transport, etc.<br /><br />need to really understand how waves form and act to determine impact on close-shore structures. as waves travel to the shore, depth of water obviously decreases. as depth decreases, wave height increases, but wave speed slows. when the speed and height reach the all important moment, the wave breaks. topography, wave period, ans wind (fetch) all play a part. these properties are what make some places great surfing beaches, and others not.<br /><br />while the idea of hinged planks sounds plausible, i think initial cost and maintenance would keep most owners from pursuing them. and you would really have to have the perfect spot to use them. if it's a long pier, chances are the waves are not breaking at the pier, and at times of extreme water levels, the hinged planks may help. but if the waves are breaking onto the pier like some of inferred, hinges obviously won't help. i think sloopy is trying to make the point that you still have a fixed structure that is taking most of the abuse. very true. damage to pilings is where the cost is. replacing some planks and beams is relatively cheap compared to driving new piles.