Seawalls are usually massive, vertical
structures used to protect backshore areas from heavy wave action, and
in lower wave energy environments, to separate land from water.
They can be constructed using a range of materials, the most common
being poured concrete, steel sheet pile, concrete blocks, gabions, and
timber cribs.
There are various types of seawalls.
Curved
Usually massive structures, constructed with poured concrete, curved seawalls
have a slight concave curve built into their face that is designed to
deflect incoming wave energy up and away from the bottom, thereby
reducing scour at the base of the wall.
Gravity
Gravity seawalls rely on the weight of the materials they are
constructed of to provide the required stability against wave
action. They require strong foundation soils to adequately support
their weight, and they normally do not sufficiently penetrate the soil
to develop reliable passive resisting forces on the offshore side.
Therefore, they depend primarily on shearing resistance along the base
of the structure to support the applied loads.
Steel Sheet Pile Walls
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| Steel Sheet Pile Seawall |
|
This
type of seawall consists of thin, interlocking sheet piles driven deeply
into the ground. In most cases, the sheet pile is backfilled and
anchored to the bluff/bank face using tie-back structures.
Drainage openings are also utilized to provide drainage from the
backshore area.
Concrete Walls
Vertical walls made from poured concrete, or from the vertical
placement of concrete blocks.
Rock Walls
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| Rock Seawall. |
|
A type of gravity seawall that is composed of vertically placed units of
heavy armorstone or other similar natural rock material.
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