Flank Protection
Flank protection is important to structures like revetments or bulkheads, because erosion could
otherwise continue around their ends and they would cease to adequately function (Figure 21). The
photograph on Figure 17 also illustrates flanking in progress.
Return sections can be provided either during original construction or later as erosion progresses,
although remobilization costs usually make this more expensive. For instance, sheet pile bulkheads
along low bluffs can easily be tied into the existing bank during the initial work. This is generally not
possible for high bluffs. Revetments on a slope nearly always must be progressively lengthened as
erosion at the ends continues. They should be tied into the existing bank or high ground, however,
during initial construction.
Because of the need for flank protection, a community approach is usually more efficient and
economical (Figure 22). This limits the number of return sections required and provides better functional
performance of the shore protection devices.
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