Stability of rock berm under wave and current loading

Rock berms are used for many different offshore applications. These applications include use of rock berm for protection of offshore pipelines from anchors and trawlers; for mitigating upheaval buckling of pipelines, for mitigating lateral buckling of pipelines; for scour protection. In order for the rock berm to perform its function, it is vital that the rock berm is stable under the design wave and current conditions. Thus it is vital that rock berm stability is assessed correctly. This paper presents an overview of fundamentals of rock berm stability assessment under wave and current conditions. Results presented in this paper will benefit the pipeline engineers involved in rock berm design for Front End Engineering Designs (FEED) and detailed design.