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ArmorWedge Concrete Erosion Protection System

ArmorWedge is a concrete step overlay protection system for embankment dams and spillways that are subject to high tractive forces associated with overtopping flow. The Bureau of Reclamation and the Electric Power Research Institute obtained a patent on this block design after four years of research performed at Colorado State University. The research determined the hydraulic stability of the system and its ability to withstand seasonal conditions over several years with no discernible movement or damage.

The essential design component of ArmorWedge is a stepped overlay system that combines the effect of impact flow to the step surfaces with the ability of the overlay to relieve uplift pressure. The practicality of ArmorWedge lies in the cost-effective ease of installation. This is particularly true for projects where the use of large machinery is deemed impractical due to confined, hard-to-reach jobsites or environmental impact on the surrounding area. ArmorWedge is typically installed by hand over site-specific filter fabric and subsequent drainage medium on a well-compacted surface.

Product Highlights: ArmorWedge


Features and benefits:

  • Proven stability
  • Cost-effective
  • Easy to install
  • High permeability

Applications:

  • Dam overtopping
  • High velocity channelization
  • Primary and secondary spillways

Tested and developed by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Resists tractic forces during overtopping flow events more effectively. The highest factor of safety of any concrete unit developed for hydraulic flow conditions.

Researchers assessed the stability of the blocks by comparing the downward (positive) forces of the block weight and the pressure of the flowing water to the (negative) uplift force. An effective drainage system, allowing water to be removed from beneath the system, is essential to the design of the overlay.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, in conjunction with EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), and CSU (Colorado State University), completed a four-year research study on the ArmorWedge system for embankment dams. The laboratory flume studies investigated various step shapes installed on 2H:1V to 4H:1V slopes. In order to replicate a typical embankment dam, full-scale units were tested in an outdoor overtopping facility consisting of a 50’ tall flume with a 2H:1V slope.

The ArmorWedge system was tested up to and including the facility discharge capacity of 40’ 3/s/ft. This discharge capacity had associated water velocities of 35 ft/sec and a shear stress of 22 lbs/sq ft. Even at these levels, the ArmorWedge system remained stable. The block geometry provides for a stable system because of the combined effect of the impact of the flow on the step surfaces and the ability of the system to relieve the uplift pressure. An additional benefit of the ArmorWedge system is the amount of energy dissipated by the flow over the steps formed by the block surface. Terminal velocity was attained for the flow range tested, indicating that the energy remaining at the toe of a 50’ or higher dam could be predicted if designs are within the flow range tested.

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