EnviroForm

Overview - Our Scour Protection System

Fabric formwork has been used to form concrete scour protection, to river beds and river banks, for over 40 years. Concrete protection can be very resistant to scour and erosion and the fabric can be an easy and useful means of forming the shape of the protection in-situ. Existing forms of fabric formwork protection are however not without problems, and their use has diminished over the years as environmental and consenting bodies opt for more environmentally friendly alternatives to scour protection. Ever increasing and more stringent EU legislation, for example, is also making the use of "sterile" forms of concrete protection less acceptable. In many instance however, hard engineered protection is the only form durable enough to resist erosion.

EnviroForm's patent pending form of cast insitu scour protection provides the high degree of protection and durable qualities expected of all forms of concrete scour protection, whilst also providing a means of forming concrete protection with ease and with limited risk to the environment.

Amongst its many benefits are:

Performance

Provides the ability to form a long lasting and effective system of scour protection to river banks, river beds, sea beds or shorelines, using concrete, both above and below water.

Fulfils both long term and high velocity design requirements.

Provides the level of protection expected of concrete but with improved appearance and the flexibility of a fully articulating pre-cast system.

Appearance

The system has been designed to significantly improve the appearance of the final protection. A range of top surfaces are available, with one form designed to closely resemble natural rock armour, when filled with concrete. This is achieved by the use of natural fabrics, coated and textured with sand. The manufacturing process results in an irregular and natural looking surface, with no two blocks looking the same, resulting in a very environmentally sympathetic product. Where the appearance is improved the greatest however, is the ability to plant between the individual blocks, greatly enhancing the final appearance of the river bank.

Simple design

The bases of the bags are square, such that complete coverage of the bed or bank can be achieved, if required. Alternatively, the bags can be spaced to allow for wave action or cater for vegetated systems.

The system is very easy to design and can be completed by EnviroForm's in-house design team, or with a little guidance, anyone familiar with the design of similar scour protection systems. The bags are available in three base sizes, 500mm, 750mm and 1000mm, and ideally a mixture of sizes results in a random and more natural effect. Bags are available in two base thicknesses, of 125mm and 250mm, where 125mm thick bases are more suitable for bank protection or where excavation is less desirable.

Flexibility in the Design

The simple design is flexible in that the design can be adapted on site to account for irregular shapes or problems (for example pipe outfalls, irregularly shaped or circular piers, etc) by substituting alternative bag sizes. Each bag also has the flexibility to accommodate bed irregularities and other forms of irregular shapes where required, by deforming or shortening any of the four sides, or by the underside of the bag deforming to fill any irregularities.

Environmentally friendly

The materials forming the bags have been carefully chosen to not have any adverse effects upon the environment. Unlike other forms of fabric formwork, the bags are sealed to prevent concrete fines from escaping through the fabric and into the environment. The use of a valved inlet and managed venting system, combined with double stitching of the seams, greatly reduces the possibility of leakage during filling.

Increased Biodiversity

When used for river bank protection, the design allows for the inclusion of pre-vegetated systems. This facility can instantly produce a very aesthetically pleasing but very durable and long term river bank that can greatly improve riverbank biodiversity. This ability is simply not possible using the majority of existing hard engineered forms of river bank protection.

Ease of filling

The bags are placed and filled in-situ with pumped micro concrete or grout, with no need for heavy plant. Indeed, the use of concrete pumping technology means that plant can be positioned up to 100m from the worksite, which typically makes fabric formwork solutions ideal for worksites with difficult access. With the bags in place, it is simply a case of inserting the concrete or grout hose nozzle and filling with concrete. This operation can be completed in the dry, or below water.

Interconnectivity

The design incorporates a system to allow for connecting neighbouring blocks. this results in a fully articulating armouring system, when required, such that individual blocks cannot be dislodged by hydraulic forces or vandals. The entire layer of protection can flex as a result of settlement for example, the full system acting in unison.

Products