Submar’s Articulated Concrete Revetment Mats Help Fight Bank Migration

Submar’s Articulated Concrete Revetment Mats Help Fight Bank Migration

If you are constructing a pipeline near a river, a stream, or what used to be a waterway, bank migration is an issue. Rivers are dynamic features of the landscape; the riverbed and bank are in constant motion. Removing the natural covering of vegetation can drastically accelerate bank migration.

Submar can help to prevent further erosion and protect pipelines in waterways. Our onshore revetment mattress is an articulating concrete mat that is commonly used as protective cover for pipelines in rivers and streams. It provides a long-term, continuous system of hard-armor protection for the entire length of the pipeline from high bank to high bank.

These mats are considered “engineered riprap” and, in comparison to riprap, will perform better in the bed of the stream where the highest shear stresses occur. The concrete mats will articulate and self-adjust with the streambed to prevent the upstream migration of future headcut erosion while encouraging growth of native vegetation. The mats can also be removed and replaced for maintenance of the pipeline if necessary.

To learn more about how we offer solutions on bank migration, see our projects page.