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Riprap: From Massachusetts Erosion and Sediment Control Guidelines For Urban and Suburban Areas

Riprap is loose angular stone used to protect slopes, streambanks, and shorelines from erosion. It works by slowing water velocity, increasing infiltration, and protecting the soil surface. Proper installation requires a graded mix of stones placed over a geotextile fabric or aggregate filter layer to a specified thickness. Careful design, materials selection, placement, and sequencing is needed for riprap to effectively prevent erosion in vulnerable areas.

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57 views4 pages

Riprap: From Massachusetts Erosion and Sediment Control Guidelines For Urban and Suburban Areas

Riprap is loose angular stone used to protect slopes, streambanks, and shorelines from erosion. It works by slowing water velocity, increasing infiltration, and protecting the soil surface. Proper installation requires a graded mix of stones placed over a geotextile fabric or aggregate filter layer to a specified thickness. Careful design, materials selection, placement, and sequencing is needed for riprap to effectively prevent erosion in vulnerable areas.

Uploaded by

Godfrey Emilio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Riprap

From Massachusetts Erosion and Sediment Control Guidelines for Urban and Suburban Areas

Definition
A permanent, erosion-resistant ground cover of large, loose, angular stone.

Purpose

 To protect slopes, streambanks, channels, or areas subject to erosion by wave


action.
 Rock riprap protects soil from erosion due to concentrated runoff. It is used to
stabilize slopes that are unstable due to seepage. It is also used to slow the
velocity of concentrated runoff which in turn increases the potential for infiltration.
Where Practice Applies

 Cut or fill slopes subject to seepage or weathering, particularly where conditions


prohibit establishment of vegetation.
 Channel side slopes and bottom.
 Inlets and outlets for culverts, bridges, slope drains, grade stabilization
structures, and storm drains; where the velocity of flow from these structures
exceeds the capacity of the downstream area to resist erosion.
 Stream banks and stream grades.
 Shorelines subject to wave action.

Advantages

 Riprap offers an easy-to-use method for decreasing water velocity and protecting
slopes from erosion. It is simple to install and maintain.
 Riprap provides some water quality benefits by increasing roughness and
decreasing the velocity of the flow, inducing settling.

Disadvantages/Problems

 Riprap is more expensive than vegetated slopes.


 There can be increased scour at the toe and ends of the riprap.
 Riprap does not provide the habitat enhancement that vegetative practices do.

Planning Considerations

 Well-graded riprap forms a dense, flexible, self-healing cover that will adapt well
to uneven surfaces.
 Care must be exercised in the design so that stones are of good quality, sized
correctly, and placed to proper thickness.
 Riprap should be placed on a proper filter material of sand, gravel, or fabric to
prevent soil from "piping" through the stone.
 Contact the local Conservation Commission regarding any stream crossing or
other work conducted in a wetland resource area. The Massachusetts Wetland
Protection Act requires that the proponent file a "Determination of Applicability" or
"Notice of Intent."
 Rock riprap is used where erosion potential is often high. The rock should be
placed as soon as possible after disturbing the site, before additional water is
concentrated into the drainage system. Properly sized bedding or geotextile
fabric is needed to prevent erosion or undermining of the natural underlying
material.
 Riprap is classified as either graded or uniform. Graded riprap contains a mixture
of stones which vary in size. A sample of uniform riprap would contain stones
which are all fairly close in size. For most applications, graded riprap is preferred
to uniform riprap. Graded riprap forms a flexible self-healing cover, while uniform
riprap is more rigid and cannot withstand movement of the stones. Graded riprap
is cheaper to install, requiring only that the stones be dumped so that they
remain in a well-graded mass.
 Hand or mechanical placement of individual stones is limited to that necessary to
achieve the proper thickness and line. Uniform riprap requires placement in a
more or less uniform pattern, requiring more hand or mechanical labor.

Design Recommendations
As graded riprap consists of a variety of stone sizes, a method is needed to specify the
size range of the mixture of stone. This is done by specifying a diameter of stone in
mixture for which some percentage, by weight, will be smaller. For example, d 85 refers
to a mixture of stones in which 85 percent of the stone by weight would be smaller than
the diameter specified. Most designs are based on "d." The design, therefore, is based
on the median size of stone in the mixture. A well graded mixture of rock sizes should
be used for riprap rather than rocks of a uniform size. Rock riprap sizes are specified by
either weight or diameter. Stone should be hard, angular, weather-resistant; specific
gravity at least 2.5.

Gradation
Well-graded stone, 50% by weight larger than the specified "150" The largest stones
should not exceed 1.5 times the "d5O" specified. Stones should be shaped so that the
least dimension of the stone fragment is not less than one-third of the greatest
dimension of the fragment. Flat rocks should not be used for riprap.

Filter
Heavy-duty filter fabric or aggregate layer should be used under all permanent riprap.

Thickness
1.5 times the maximum stone diameter, minimum, or as specified in the plan.

Construction Recommendations

 Subgrade for filter material, geotextile fabric or riprap should be cleared and
grubbed to remove all roots, vegetation, and debris and prepared to the lines and
grades shown on the plans.
 Excavate deep enough for both filter and riprap. Compact any fill material to the
density of surrounding undisturbed soil.
 Excavate a keyway in stable material at base of slope to reinforce the toe.
Keyway depth should be 1.5 times the design thickness of riprap and should
extend a horizontal distance equal to the design thickness.
 Rock and/or gravel used for filter and riprap shall conform to the specified
gradation.
 Voids in the rock riprap should be filled with spalls and smaller rocks.

Filter
Install synthetic filter fabric or a sand/gravel filter on subgrade.

Synthetic filter fabric Place filter fabric on a smooth foundation. Overlap edges at least
12 inches, with anchor pins spaced every 3 ft along overlap. For large stones, a 4-inch
layer of sand may be needed to protect filtercloth.

Geotextile fabrics should be protected from puncture or tearing during placement of the
rock riprap by placing a cushion of sand and gravel over the fabric. Damaged areas in
the fabric should be repaired by placing a piece of fabric over the damaged area or by
complete replacement of the fabric. All overlaps required for repairs or joining two
pieces of fabric should be a minimum of 12 inches.

Sand/Gravel Filter
Spread well-graded aggregate in a uniform layer to the required thickness (6 inches
minimum).

If two or more layers are specified, place the layer of smaller stones first and avoid
mixing the layers.

Stone Placement

 Place riprap immediately after installing filter.


 Install riprap to full thickness in one operation. Do not dump through chutes or
use any method that causes segregation of stone sizes. Avoid dislodging or
damaging underlying filter material when placing stone.
 If fabric is damaged, remove riprap and repair fabric by adding another layer,
overlapping the damaged area by 12 inches.
 Place smaller stones in voids to form a dense, uniform, well-graded mass.
Selective loading at the quarry and some hand placement may be necessary to
obtain an even distribution of stone sizes.
 Blend the stone surface smoothly with the surrounding area, allowing no
protrusions or overfall.
 Since riprap is used where erosion potential is high, construction must be
sequenced so that the riprap is put in place with the minimum possible delay.
Disturbance of areas where riprap is to be placed should be undertaken only
when final preparation and placement of the riprap can follow immediately behind
the initial disturbance.
 Where riprap is used for outlet protection, the riprap should be placed before or
in conjunction with the construction of the pipe or channel so that it is in place
when the pipe or channel begins to operate.

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