Coastal Engineering Tank

Ocean engineering students use this facility to study the effects of wave action on coastlines and coastal structures. The L-shaped tank is equipped with a wavemaker. Breakwaters, jetties, groins, and harbors can be designed, and their effectiveness evaluated. A moveable bridge structure serves as an observation platform, and as a mounting surface for instrumentation. The Laboratory also includes equipment for the study of the basic principles of soil mechanics as applied to coastal sediments. The tank is currently subdivided with a main test section, 52 ft long and 18 ft wide, containing a solid beach at a 1 to 10 slope.