An Experimental Study of Settlement Behavior of Artificial Reef according to Reinforcement Characteristics

Seabed settlement and erosion sometimes occurr when a artificial reef is installed in soft seabed. Therefore, this study carried out CBR test and water tank settlement test to investigate settlement behavior of artificial reef according to reinforcement characteristics such as reinforced types and reinforced area. Soil types of ground are sand, silt and clay deposits. Three reinforced types were prepared: unreinforced, geogrid and hybrid bamboo mat(HBM) with different reinforced area. Laboratory test results indicated that reinforced artificial reef improved bearing capacity of ground and reduced settlement as reinforced area increased. Especially, reinforced HBM provided more bearing capacity and less settlement than reinforced geogrid.