ARTIFICIAL SEAWEED - COASTAL AND SUBMARINE-PIPELINE PROTECTION STUDIES WITH STRETCHED POLYPROPYLENE FOAM STRANDS.

Abstract

An artificial seaweed system for combating coastal erosion has been developed. The weed material has been tested in practice at various locations along the Dutch coast. The system is based on 0. 2 g/cm**3 density stretched polypropylene foam strands made via the extrudergassing technique developed by Shell. The strands are woven into a screen-like fabric giving a side-by-side arrangement. For anchoring purposes, a nylon anchoring tube is attached to the screen and filled with a weighting material such as sand or gravel.