3 Kinds of Seawalls

13 August 2021
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Seawalls are designed to do a couple of things. They are supposed to help keep wave action from degrading the shoreline and stop erosion. Another is that it can help control flooding, depending on how high the seawall is. There are different kinds of seawalls, depending on where it is being built and what the goal is for it. No matter what the end result of the seawall will look like, there are three basic kinds of seawalls. 

Vertical

A vertical seawall is one that is straight up and down. It is often made with something like corrugated metal anchored with stone at the bottom, although other materials may also be involved. Vertical seawalls are good at deflecting wave energy, which can also help with stopping the erosion of the shoreline. These seawalls can be a good choice in places where the waves are generally higher than six to seven feet. Part of the benefit of using a vertical seawall is that they tend to be fairly durable. However, one drawback is that they can interrupt the drainage of the land, so it is important to figure out how the drainage works before the seawall is built. 

Mound

A mound seawall is generally made up of large mounds of rocks and blocks. The mound of stones and concrete blocks may be placed on mounds of rocks and other substrates, which would be used as a support for the seawall. The outer layer would be the part designed to act as the seawall. This kind of seawall is going to be the least expensive kind to make since it can be made relatively quickly and doesn't necessarily need to have special materials in order to be built. The goal behind a mound seawall is to absorb and lessen the force with which the waves hit the shoreline. 

Curved

The last kind of seawall is the curved seawall. These seawalls are curved at the top, like a wave would be. The waves hit the walls made out of poured concrete and are deflected, and the energy of the waves is dispersed. One purpose of the structure of the wall is that it helps to prevent the bottom of the seawall from being undercut by the action of the waves. 

If you need to have a seawall built, talk to the professionals. They will be able to tell you what will work best for you and your needs. Reach out to seawall construction services near you to learn more.