Protection Mechanism
Riprap works by absorbing and deflecting the energy of waves before they reach the defended structure. The size and mass of the riprap material absorbs the impact energy of waves, while the gaps between the rocks trap and slow the flow of water, lessening its ability to erode soil or structures on the coast. The mass of riprap also provides protection against impact damage by ice or debris, which is particularly desirable for bridge supports and pilings.
It is frequently used to protect the base of old Edwardian and Victorian sea walls, which being vertical are often undermined. The riprap absorbs the impact of the waves as they shoot up the wall and then fall back down.
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Famous quotes containing the words protection and/or mechanism:
“The protection of a ten-year-old girl from her father’s advances is a necessary condition of social order, but the protection of the father from temptation is a necessary condition of his continued social adjustment. The protections that are built up in the child against desire for the parent become the essential counterpart to the attitudes in the parent that protect the child.”
—Margaret Mead (1901–1978)
“A mechanism of some kind stands between us and almost every act of our lives.”
—Sarah Patton Boyle, U.S. civil rights activist and author. The Desegregated Heart, part 3, ch. 2 (1962)