Numerical Analysis of Stacked Geo-Tubes

Geo-tubes and geo-containers are being increasingly used as marine structures for coastal protection and harbor construction. They represent an alternative solution compared to the traditional methods such as rock embankment and/or concrete units, with a significant reduction in cost and time. The tensile stress of stacked geo-tubes in immersed condition has been explored in this paper through numerical modeling, considering that the main drawback for this kind of structures is the lack of definite design criteria. With the aim of increasing the knowledge of the shape of the tubes and of the tensile stress in the geotextiles after filling and loading, the analyses showed how these parameters may be influenced by many factors, as the mutual distance of the geo-tubes, the interface friction and the level of filling of the geo-tubes.