Menu
Our Expertise
We design scour protection and plain concrete for a range of applications:
- Protecting berthing structures from vessel scour
- Scour protection for inland road and rail bridges
- Structural concrete formed using fabric formwork for almost any purpose
Scour Protection Design – Ports and Harbours
Over 50 years we have built up a deep understanding of scour actions in a range of environments and how concrete mattress can be designed to resist scour.
We advance industry knowledge through publishing papers and presenting our research at international conferences, with our recommendations being included in the latest PIANC design guidelines “MarCom WG 180: Guidelines for Protecting Berthing Structures from Scour Caused by Ships (2015)”.
Our designs focus on using in situ concrete mattress to form a ‘sealed’ protection layer, with a suitable detail at the edges with an accompanying inspection and maintenance regime to prevent progressive underscour failure.
Our design methods are available for others to use and we are pleased to provide informal support to consulting engineers undertaking scour protection design.
For design and build contractors, our methods can create reductions to other structural elements and dredging volumes if brought in early in the design process.
Our design methods are suitable for single and twin propeller vessels, ferries, containerships, bulk carriers, cruise ships with azimuth thrusters, bow and stern thrusters and waterjet propelled vessels (such as Incat and other HSS vessels). Our methods have been built up through many years of empirical study, using the state-of-the-art design guidance and contributing with findings from our own CFD and scale models
Scour and Erosion Protection - Road and Rail Bridges
We provide scour protection designs for asset owners and design and build contractors to provide robust scour protection to critical transport infrastructure.
Our methods focus on the types of scour that can cause settlements or structural failure of the structures:
- Local scour
- Contraction scour
- Blockage effects
Our designs focus on using in situ concrete mattress to form a ‘sealed’ protection layer, a continuous plain concrete slab, with a suitable detail at the edges and an accompanying inspection and maintenance regime to prevent progressive underscour failure.
Our design methods are available for others to use having been peer reviewed and presented at the International Scour and Erosion Conference in 2016. From concept to detailed design stages, we are pleased to provide informal support to consulting engineers undertaking scour protection design.
Concrete Structures
We design concrete structures for a range of unconventional situations including:
- Nuclear containment pond RC retaining wall
- Underpinning
- Revetment protection
Please contact us if you have a project you would like to discuss.
Since the introduction of the CDM regulations designs must include a consideration for the safety of those completing the work. Our experience in creating safe and reliable methods of work in complicated access environments allows us to provide designs for construction in the most challenging of environments.
Contact The Expert
Contact The Expert
George Hawkswood
Engineering Director
