N092-156 TITLE: Advanced Breakwater and Causeway Design Concepts

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: OPLOG R&D Program

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: The overall objective of this SBIR is to provide the Sea Base with a complete systems concept for a quick-to-establish, low-maintenance, durable system of temporary breakwater and causeway. The Sea Basing FNC Program currently does not address development of a temporary port or how to improve an inadequate port in parts of the world where the Navy is expected to operate in the future. This SBIR will mature materials and other technologies necessary to establish temporary breakwater and causeway structures.

DESCRIPTION: In an austere port condition, that is, a port where inadequate facilities exist or where no facilities exist, the Navy must be able to quickly establish the capability to move vehicles and materiel ashore. The abilities to rapidly establish a protective breakwater and set up a temporary causeway are needed to meet this task in challenging sea state and surf conditions without access to fixed port facilities.

Current "temporary" causeways are typically barge-like sections that must be towed or shipped to the site and are limited to sheltered waters and low sea states. Similarly, breakwaters are effectively construction projects that are expensive and take a long time to build.

This SBIR seeks to develop a complete system concept using innovative designs and advanced materials to be able to quickly deploy and set up temporary breakwaters and causeways. These concepts are envisioned to utilize flexible materials of low mass that can be easily transported and then quickly set up on site as floodable/inflatable structures. They would be able to withstand the forces of the sea and surf while dissipating that wave energy to create a protected, calm area behind the breakwater. Similarly, the causeway would be quickly erected or assembled to be able to take medium ships and vessels alongside and off load wheeled or tracked vehicles and cargo to the shore.

Design concepts must account for the loads, dynamic stresses and hydrodynamic forces expected in order to meet the above objectives. Innovations in materials, design shapes and structures, fabrication and construction, joining and anchoring and more are sought to solve these challenges.

PHASE I: By the end of Phase I, the contractor shall provide the Navy with one or more design concepts for the problem described in "Description" above.

The proposed concepts should include hydrodynamic calculations and/or modeling that address the hydrodynamic effects of the water, wakes, waves and surf on the proposed design(s). Other issues that should be addressed in Phase I are vehicle, cargo and mooring loads; anchoring/securing to the bottom or shore; system installation and removal; innovative shapes and structures; and advanced materials, fabrication and assembly.

The Phase I concept(s) must meet or improve on the following parameters to the extent it can be accomplished with the funding available:
• Anchoring in the austere port becomes fully operational within 48 hours of system delivery to site
• Continues to operate for 2 years with 99% availability and a MTTR (mean time to repair) of 4 hours
• Operates in northernmost, wintertime climates (with ice floes) as well as tropical climates
• Operates in Sea State 5 and survives Sea State 7
• Operates in current having a velocity up to 5.0 knots
• Operates with wave heights of 12 feet
• Operates in winds of 40.0 knots
• Operates in tidal ranges up to 20 feet
• Accommodates a 3000 ton vessel
• Be installable by either military or civilian crews
• Be capable of operation in mud, sand or coral bottoms

PHASE II: In this Phase, the contractor will use the concept(s) of Phase I to design a complete breakwater and causeway system that meets the parameters of Phase I. This Phase will have the specifics of a detail design, that is, it will contain everything necessary to build the system, but no demonstration of a full system will occur. However, critical components of the system can be "breadboard" tested if desired by the contractor. Otherwise, to validate the capability of the overall design to meet required parameters stated in the "Description", computer modeling will be performed on key pieces of the system as well as the complete system.

There are many computer models or computer simulations that can be used. The Navy will not specify modeling programs or techniques to be used. However, whatever the contractor decides to use, it must demonstrate the operation of the complete system so as to show the Navy how the system responds to winds, waves, currents, and other forces and conditions listed in "Description" above.

PHASE III: For Phase III, the successful SBIR design will transition to the ONR FNC program with the end goal of meeting a fully functioning, Navy approved breakwater and causeway capability at an austere port or unimproved shoreline. This fully functioning capability must be able to be established in all parts of the world where no ports exist, or where inadequate ports exist. To that end, the contractor must propose for Phase III a transition that looks beyond the FNC process to the OPLOG R&D Program.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Quick assembly, low maintenance breakwater and causeway systems reduce time and manpower. Furthermore, they provide the potential for opening ports for short durations in parts of the world not used at this time due to the extreme expense of the infrastructure required.

REFERENCES:
1. Buchner, B., Loots, G., Forristall, G., and van Iperen, E. (2004), Hydrodynamic Aspects of Gravity Based Structures in Shallow Water, Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, TX, 3-6 May 2004 http://www.marin.nl/upload_mm/7/a/8/1806995120_1999999096_TVW0162.pdf

2. Bottin, R., (1998). Case Histories of Corps Breakwater and Jetty Structures, Report 1, South Pacific Division, Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS http://chl.erdc.usace.army.mil/Media/4/3/6/TechReport1.pdf

3. Moffatt and Nichol (2005). Passing Ship Mooring Study, Marine Oil Terminal Development at the Port of Los Angeles, Pacific Energy Partners, L. P.; www.mxsocal.org/pdffiles/M&NPier400.pdf

4. Schwartz, N. (2005). Joint Logistics Over-the Shore (JLOTS) http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new pubs/ jp4 01 6.pdf

KEYWORDS: Sea Base; Breakwater; Causeway; Austere Port; Maintenance; Sea-state

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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