Anti-Scour Frond Mattress

When a solid object, typically a pipeline, offshore platform structure or bridge pier is put in place on a loose sedimentary sea or river bed the flow of water around this under certain conditions can cause erosion of the bed; this is called scour. It may be gradual or rapid but it is cumulative and the end result may be unsafe spans on pipelines or an unsafe structure generally.

Natural seaweed reduces water velocity locally and correspondingly reduces scour; the SPS Frond Mattress replicates this natural phenomenon. Over 1000 buoyant fronds per square metre at nominally one metre high are built into the Mattress and properly deployed (either directly onto the seabed or attached to an SPS Fleximat) they will stop scour rapidly.