Our Solution
The Scour Prevention Solution is an innovative sediment entrapment device.

Anti-scour Mechanism
The specific gravity (density) of our mats is slightly less than that of sea bed sediment, yet more than that of seawater. Therefore the mats sink to the seabed, where they sit on the surface of the sand. As water flows over the surface of the mat, its speed decreases due to friction. This causes sediment which was previously suspended in the water to be deposited within the tyres and in the spaces between them. This means the mat effectively traps a layer of sediment which acts as a reinforcing skin on the seabed, preventing any further scouring.

The Mats
Our anti-scour mats simply consist of a large number of used vehicle tyres, typically of 600mm diameter, bolted together using nylon screws and washers. The mats are laid onto the levelled seabed surrounding the structure it is designed to protect; for a monopile the mat's size will be typically 5 times the monopile diameter and is laid in sections which are then bolted together by divers. For cable protection, the mat is installed in a continuous strip onto the seabed above the cables immediately after their burial.

The mats are anchored to prevent movement when they are initially installed. Once they are in place, the weight of the sediment which they trap acts to anchor the mats and keep them in position. Ropes are interwoven into the mats to provide a second level of reassurance that the tyres will remain in situ in the unlikely scenario that the nylons bolts fail.

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