Scour and erosion protection
Built-up areas have an increased need for protection against the erosion and scour which go along with rising water levels. Scour means a localised loss of soil often situated around underwater foundation elements such as piles, quay walls, bridge abutments, etc.
Typically, Enka Solutions products for this application combine ballast with filtration to withstand the stronger shear forces that are involved in these situations.
The sand tightness is assured by the Enka-Tex filtration function. This is the crucial key to the stability of the entire structure.
Enka-Mattress is a lost shuttering concrete mattress which follows the soil surface perfectly so that no gaps are subjected to erosion. It becomes a robust, rigid and long-lasting protection layer.
Enka-Mattress can be tailor made so it can be zipped around or layed down over pipelines prior to filling. Once filled it will protect the durable coating of pipelines from damage induced by falling anchors, rock or abrasion forces.
Enka-Fix is a three-dimensional woven fabric onto which concrete blocks are cast, thus combining ballast and filtration. The woven fabric offers a flexible connection between the concrete blocks. This flexibility offers a self-healing erosion control system, which is able to adapt to new scour-sensitive spots.
Scour is the result of bottom shear stress induced by water velocity. Once this becomes higher than the critical shear stress, soil will be transported away from the foundation element posing stability risks to the superstructure.
The foreshores of quaywalls 1 are subject to erosion due to turbulent ship propeller forces and vortices. Enka-Mattresses can be used as a bottom protection to secure the lifetime of the structure. Critical riverbank sections and attacked seashore areas 2 can be defended by Enka-Fix with precast concrete blocks.
Functions:
- Surface stabilisation
- Ballasting
- Filtration
- Protection
Relevant products:
- Enka®-Tex wovens
- Enka®-Tex nonwovens
- Enka®-Force
- Enka®-Fix
- Enka®-Mattress
- Enka®-G-Tube
- Enka®-G-Bag
