Problem Description
When Hurricane Sandy struck last year, from October 22, 2012 – October 31, 2012, many homes, lives, and businesses were destroyed. It became painfully clear that Lower Manhattan was not adequately prepared for a natural disaster. Hurricane Sandy caused about $20 billion in property damages, not to mention $10 - 30 billion in lost business. The hurricane took at least 149 people's lives.
http://www.minnpost.com/sites/default/files/SandyDestructionQueens640.jpg
http://www.minnpost.com/sites/default/files/SandyDestructionQueens640.jpg
Requirements
There would be a combination of erosional natural forces acting against the seawall, such as wind and water. To stop the need for constant maintance, the seawall would need to be engineered in a suitable shaped and constructed out of durable materials. Especially during a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Sandy, a seawall would need to be able to withstand massive amounts of damage within a short time. As services will be needed elsewhere during the disaster, if the seawall goes down it will worsen the situation.
Though strong materials are needed, financially cheap materials would be desirable. We would need to find cheap, durable materials to build the seawall. As the NYC coastline spans a large swath of land, it would be necessary to cut costs in order to make it a viable option.
There would also be a aesthetic portion; obviously, inhabitants of Lower Manhattan would not want a hulking metal construction right outside their doors.
Though strong materials are needed, financially cheap materials would be desirable. We would need to find cheap, durable materials to build the seawall. As the NYC coastline spans a large swath of land, it would be necessary to cut costs in order to make it a viable option.
There would also be a aesthetic portion; obviously, inhabitants of Lower Manhattan would not want a hulking metal construction right outside their doors.
Restraints
No matter what type of wall, it will be expensive to construct. This design will be cost-effective compared to other options. It will require maintenance, as the force of waves repeatedly hitting the same points will cause it to break down, but the maintenace will be less expensive than the maintenance of a curved wall, because the mound wall will be cheaper to replace. It will be safer than a mound wall, because even if the weaker mound wall breaks down, the curved wall will still stand, and it will be as strong as it was when it was built, because it will have been shielded from erosion by the mound wall. Although expensive, we believe it will be possible to construct.
We also have to confront the fact that over an extended period of time, repairing a curved wall once will most likely be less expensive than repeatedly repairing multiple mound walls. However, a curved wall that constantly undergoes erosion from waves will be more likely to collapse in the case of a natural disaster. We have decided to prioritize people's lives over cost effectiveness.
We also have to confront the fact that over an extended period of time, repairing a curved wall once will most likely be less expensive than repeatedly repairing multiple mound walls. However, a curved wall that constantly undergoes erosion from waves will be more likely to collapse in the case of a natural disaster. We have decided to prioritize people's lives over cost effectiveness.
research
First, to select a design for the seawall we must explore multiple options. We have looked into various designs for sea barriers that have been implemented in the past, though they have both pros and cons. We have also been brainstorming our own designs.