Evaluation of Techniques to Eliminate Erosion from Under River Revetment Mattresses
2006
Lampo, Richard G. | Long, James H. | Paul, Stanley L. | Boin, Tom
The Lower Mississippi Valley Division (LMVD) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers annually places several million square feet of articulated revetment mattresses to minimize erosion of the riverbed and banks adjacent to structures and levees. Mattress sections are replaced in those areas where surveys have indicated a deepening of the river bank or other possible mattress failure. Catastrophic levee failures have signaled the need to investigate the failure phenomenon and to recommend potential solutions that will minimize future catastrophic failures. The objective of this research was to evaluate techniques to seal the gaps between the mattress blocks, thereby increasing protection against underlayment erosion. Based on preliminary investigations, researchers determined that the technique of attaching a geotextile to the bottom of the mattress appeared promising. The technique of sealing the gaps with flexible foams and epoxies was impractical. Three of the 16 geotextiles tested exhibited the best combinations of behavior for use with revetment mattresses. Before a geotextile-concrete mattress could become standard practice, the mattress failure mechanism needs to be defined more accurately. The relationship between the composite mattress and river currents and soils should also be defined.
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