It is feasible to develop expert systems for complicated design processes in the field of harbour and port engineering. This paper presents how knowledge about the design of a gravity-type vertical seawall can be represented in a manner appropriate for the new computing technology of expert systems, resulting in a computer program which can act as a readily available design aid. The model is written employing a PC shell "VP-Expert", together with external executable programs written in TURBO PASCAL dealing with numerical computations, and is tailored for use on an IBM PC, or compatible microcomputer which is readily available in design offices. Its outputs include expert advice on the choice of design procedures, suggestion of seawall configuration and recommendations for the main design parameters.
