In Japan, caisson-type structures are frequently used for quay walls and seawalls. There are utilized where the deep seawall is exposed to large waves. In order to prevent the leakage of backfill material through the gap between caissons, joint plates are installed at the boundary of the backfill material and caisson gap. As joint plate materials, rubber and polyvinyl chloride have been used, and there are several kinds its shape and structure. For example, reinforced with a fabric. However, these materials are installed empirically and the design method to determine the specification, for example, the width of these materials, has not yet been proposed. Lack of a design method causes breakage of the joint plates, resulting in settlement failure of backfill. To prevent this failure, we have developed the new design method to determine joint plate specification. Hydraulic experiments were also conducted to verify the design method.
Key Words: Sea wall, Quay wall, Joint plate, Joint, Impulsive pressure