Equilibrium Characteristics of Sand Beaches and their Changes due to Shore Protection Works

For a given beach slope and material characteristics any beach will tend to form an equilibrium profile whose characteristics are largely determined by the wave height and wave period. When the beach is fronted by a shore structure within the margin of wave attack, the equilibrium profile characteristics are changed considerably. It is also observed that there is a stable point in the beach profile which is not disturbed during the period when the process of profile modification goes on in the adjoining portions of the profile. The whole profile appears to siwing about this stable point as the time of propagation of waves is increased untill equilibrium conditions are reached.