Behavior of breakaway walls under wave action

In coastal areas residential houses are often built on piles. The space bel ow the first floor and the ground is sometimes enclosed. The enclosure wall s are constructed to break away under severe wave-induced forces so that th e forces transmitted through the breakaway walls to the building's foundati on are not unduly large. Successful design of a breakaway wall therefore de pends critically on knowledge of the ultimate strength of nailed fasteners and wan material and of the behavior of breakaway wall, under wave-induced forces. In this research, laboratory tests were performed to determine the ultimate strength of nailed connections. Behavior and failure modes of brea kaway walls from water waves were studied analytically and in a series of l aboratory wave channel tests.