This structure illustrates a common problem with using scrap tires. While their availability is a
strong temptation to use them in shore protection devices, tires are extremely rugged, and usually cannot
be securely fastened together except by considerable labor and expense. In almost all cases, failure
results because interconnections do not perform as expected.
Used Concrete Pipes
Wave Height Range: Below two feet.
This bulkhead is constructed by standing used concrete pipes on end, side-by-side, and then filling
them with granular soil (Figure 41). This bulkhead is economical and practical only when there is an
available supply of used concrete pipes and where a low structure is adequate.
A filter must be provided behind the structure to relieve hydrostatic pressures. If a filter cloth is
used, it should be forced deeply into the grooves between pipes to avoid ballooning and bursting the
cloth. The wall should not be more than two pipe diameters high without an anchoring system. Also, the
pipes should be entrenched to provide stability and toe protection. A continuous concrete cap (not
pictured) could be cast across the tops of all pipes to insure performance as a unit. This type of bulkhead
may not last long because of possible rapid deterioration of the concrete pipes.
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