Riprap (also known as rip rap or shot rock) is rock or other material used to stabilize shore. Riprap reduces water erosion by resisting the hydraulic attack and dissipating the energy of flowing water or waves. The shape of rock is important. Coarse, angular rock, usually made by crushing or blasting, or from scree, is more effective at ground reinforcement than round river rock. A correct mixture of aggregate size can also aid riprap's ability to create an interlocking structure.

Riprap is graded by size. A specified diameter will have fifty percent of the rock (by weight) larger and fifty percent smaller. The velocity of water flow is generally the determining factor for size of stone. Riprap varies in size from several centimeters to cast concrete shapes several meters across. The size and material will be specified by a civil engineer or local building code.

Riprap is often used in conjunction with a geotextile or in gabion baskets.

Uses

• Shore stabilization, see Coast Management
• Dam overtopping
• Spillways
• Biofilters
• Bioswales
• Dry wells
• Road construction
• Septic drain fields
• Gabion construction
• Retaining wall backfill.
• Culvert Outlets

See also

• Erosion control
• Riparian zone
• Riparian

External links

• Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources riprap guide
• US Bureau of Reclamation publication on riprap for dam overtopping
• Minnesota DNR

Construction | Environmental soil science | Soil mechanics | Rocks