PHYSICAL MODELLING OF ROCK BAGS FOR COASTAL PROTECTION APPLICATIONS

Storms in 2020 caused significant erosion at numerous locations along the NSW, Australia coast, including evacuation of many houses. Emergency responses included the deployment of a 250 tonne crane to lift 2 and 4 tonne Kyowa Rock Bags onto Wamberal Beach, which overcame significant emergency constructability constraints. This formed a protective toe and was the first use of this technique on the open coast of NSW. Furthermore, a 120 m, 4 tonne Rock Bag structure was constructed at Stockton. Consideration of the potential broader use of Rock Bags for short to medium term protection prompted more research into the engineering effectiveness of the technology.