Geotube and Geobag for Coastal Erosion Protection
Coastal areas are at risk of erosion (abrasion) that can wear away the shoreline, and geotube coastal erosion protection is one way to address it. To deal with erosion caused by sea waves, a structure is needed to minimise their impact. Breakwater structures vary widely and are similar in form to dikes and retaining walls. Besides these structures, there are also breakwater systems made of tetrapods.
Conventional breakwaters are built with concrete. An innovation that avoids concrete is a geosynthetic product called the geotube. A geotube is a geosynthetic product made from polymer that functions once it is filled with sand. The sand inside the geotube provides weight and shapes the geotube into a structure. Below is a simple design showing the position of a geotube as a breakwater system:
A geotube installed as a breakwater must have a part that sits above sea level. This is because surface waves cannot be broken if the geotube is completely submerged. Geotubes must be installed along the entire area at risk of erosion.
Besides using geotubes as breakwaters, geobags can be used to provide extra protection for the shoreline. Geobags are also geosynthetic products, with a function similar to ordinary sandbags. The difference is durability: geobags meet geotextile standards. Their standards or specifications are equivalent to geotextile because geobags are made from geotextile material.
Unlike geotubes, which are placed in the sea, geobags are placed on the beach sand. The beach sand is protected by the geobags, which take the erosive action instead. Geobags need no technical installation; they are simply placed where there is a risk of erosion and can be filled with local material (beach sand). If the geobags are not high enough, they can be stacked to reach the desired height.
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