SHORELINE RESTORATION AND CONTROL
MID-AMERICAN GROUP SHORELINE RESTORATION AND CONTROL
Breakwaters are designed to absorb the energy of the waves that strike it, either by using a large mass or a revetment slope.
Traditional barrier and erosion control methods used in breakwaters, such as boulders and conventional concrete blocks, tend to become dislodged over time. The main reason for this, hydrodynamic wave forces can become greater than the mass of the simple shape.
The goal with a breakwater is to absorb incidental swell, reduce wave overtopping and minimize reflection. A well designed breakwater should have a rough surface so that it can dissipate energy and slow the water which rises along it’s face.
Add to this an interlocking shape arrangement and you will increase the internal friction of the natural forces and strengthen the breakwater over time. Simply stated, breakwaters and coastal barriers made up of elements having projections ensure a rough external surface and an interlocking shape.
CONTROL WITH TETRAPODS™
Breakwaters using Mid-American’s Tetrapod™ dissipate the force of incoming waves by allowing water to flow around, rather than against it. Mid-American’s Tetrapods™ also reduce displacement by allowing a random distribution of tetrapods to mutually interlock and settle into a linked configuration.
Tetrapods can be used in an armor layer or in a full depth placement arrangement. Full depth arrangements allow water to pass through above the sediment layer.
The most important feature of tetrapod barriers is their flexibility and capability to maintain their hydraulic performance even after collapse, which makes our structures a particularly suitable civil protection. The collapse is a design feature that allows the Tetrapods to “key” together forming a significantly stronger barrier for erosion and security.
Hydraulic Dredging
A form of excavation, the cost-effective process of hydraulic dredging is carried out underwater, gathering sediments to be transported elsewhere to aid in coastal protection and redevelopment as well as keeping waterway navigable. Hydraulic dredging is an advantageous dredging method for challenging terrains, offering more flexibility than mechanical dredging.
Hydraulic dredging projects include:
- Waterway maintenance
- Land reclamation
- Coastal redevelopment
- Flood prevention
ENGINEERED SHORING
MAG installs Engineered Shoring for a variety of customers and applications. Shoring can be constructed either by our experienced carpenters or installed with pre-fab steel sheet pile walls and bulkheads to fit specific requirements and soil types.
MAG follows all OSHA rules and customer requirements for depth to height ratios, and chooses the best design possible, given all contributing factors.
MAG employs:
- Pilings with specific width, height and spacing
- Double layer shoring
- Cross bracing and struts
- Walers
- Sheathing
- Tie Backs
- Concrete and earth dead man anchors
