US1274450A - Process of beach-building. - Google Patents

Description

J. P. REMINGTON.

PROCESS OF BEACH BUILDING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. H6-

1 274,450. Patented Aug. 6, 19m

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

' Imwwlom Josqviz iifa z aminyion,

I I I i i I I A I I I I J. P. REMINGTON.

PROCESS OF BEACH BUILDING.

I. I I I I APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. I916.

Patented Aug. 6, l9l&

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOSEPH PERCY REMINGTON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF BEACH-BUILDIN G.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

Application filed May 20, 1916. Serial No. 98,730.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn PERCY REM ixe'rtm, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, hav invented a new and useful Process of Beach-Building, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to a process of beach building in which the power of the waves themselves is utilized for the purpose, and more particularly to a method and means whereby the destructive and erosive forces of the waves and tides are checked and separated from the constructive forces which a re thereby enabled to carry on their normal work of accumulating and piling up sand without this work being immediately undone.

The changes and alterations in any beach due to the action of the waves depend ontirely on the ratio between the amount of sand which is carried in and deposited by each incoming wave, and the amount which is carried out by the succeeding ebb. The relative strength of these two actions will determine whether the beach builds up or wears away. Each wave or breaker as it approaches the beach, carries with it a certain amount of sand, which though drawn up from the bottom is carried in suspension throughout the whole wave. When the wave is dissipated on the beach, the suspended sand is precipitated and will remain on the beach, unless carried out by the ebb. The receding flow, however, may collect this sand which has just been deposited and may draw out with it other sand from the surface of the beach. But all the sand carried thereby, having just been drawn from the beach, remains for some time in the lower layer of the receding flow, which is not normally more than an inch or so in thickness.

If the lower outgoing l'ayer travels very rapidly or encounters another incoming flow, so that the sand carried thereby is stirred up through the whole wave, precipitation is prevented and the beach wears away but if this layer travels at a comparatively slow rate of speed, and does not encounter any incoming flow, then precipitation is permitted, and the beach builds up.

This process is going on all the time, and is the same in storms as in calms, but. much more rapid in its operation in storms. because of the increase in both forces, and the fact that side currents may cause the incom parallel to the shore line, but these have. never been more than partially successfula It is true that jetties will prevent a strong current running parallel to the shore from setting in so close as to eat, it away; but they will not affect the changes due to the normal action of the waves coming directly in. Bnlkheads on the other hand will not prevent a side current from setting in, and merely oppose their force to that of the waves. As a result each wave is turned back on the next succeeding one, so that when they meet the sand is so stirred up that it has no chance to precipitate. In addition to this eddies and side currents are formed which have a scouring effect on the beach, and carry away vast quantities of sand. This is especially true during storms. Both of these methods are, however, attempts to oppose the normal action of the waves.

It is the object of my invention to check the erosive forces of the waves without opposing the constructive forces and to so regulate these forces that the relation between them is always in favor of the constructive forces, so that continual building of the beach results. In accomplishing the object advantage is taken of the fact that sand is carried by the incoming and outgoing waves at different levels, as described. I, there-' fore, provide means for preventing separating the action of the incoming and outgoing flows, and the outward passage of the sand in a manner which does affect its inward passage.

To this end I place a builder consisting of a low and substantially watcrtight retaining wall at some point on the beach where the waves can flow over it,'provided with one or more V shaped pockets, in a line substantially parallel to the line of the shore.

The wall is low enough and is so placed that the 'landward flow during at least part of each tidal period will be able to pass over and beyond it without being materially impeded. But on the other hand it must be high enough to hold back the undertow, or lower strata of each succeeding seaward flow. As has been explained, nearly all of the sand carried by the receding seaward flow is carried in this lower layer, and by checking the speed of this lower layer at the same place each time, the sand carried by it will be given a chance to precipitate and de-' posit at that place, while the clear water will flow off over the top of the barrier. In this manner the erosive wash is prevented or at the effect of constricting. the wave front andincreasing the speed of the waves so that they are given power enough tocarry the sand over the retaining wall at the landward points of the pockets. The seaward flow, on the other hand, is divided by the landward points of the wall and deflected into the pockets on the other side, and caused to flow off over the seaward apices. In this way the lower layer of the seaward flow is checked and caused to pass back 'over the wall at'difierent points from that at which the incoming flow passes over it. As a result the two forces do not encounter each other, and there is no stirring up of the sand carried by the seaward fiow which would prevent precipitation.

As a result of this process the sand from each outgoing wave is precipitated in one of the V shaped pockets, and is collected there until the pocket gradually becomes filled up,

At the same time any back wash or scouring action is prevented in front of the retaining wall and a dead water space provided instead. This dead water space allows the deep water sand to precipitate and settle on i the seaward side of the jetty, from whence it is later forced landward over the barrier. In this Way the beach builds up in front of the wall as well as in back of it.

process may be repeated and more sand collected until the new height is reached. By increasing the height of the'wall each'time that the pockets become filled up,'the height of the beach may be increased until. finally it reaches a point where the waves will no longer flow over it, and consequently no more sand can be deposited.

After this point has been reached, the beach may be further built up and extended by the erection of new builders on the seaward side of the first, and increasing their height as they fill up, until the limit is By then increasing the height of the builder, the

leached. In this way by the addition of But in all cases in order to have the builder operate successfully, the walls must-be low enough to allow the waves to flow over them,-

at least at the landward apices, for the entire amount of sand which can be collected'will depend on the amount which is brought over the barrier by the incoming waves. I will now describe appropriate construction by which I may carry out my process.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure I, is a plan view of a beach, show1ng the application of a convenient form of beach builder employed in carrying out my invention.

Fig. II, is a sectional elevation taken on .line II-II in Fig. I.

Figs. III and IV, are detail sectional views on a somewhat larger scale showing the successive stages of beach building as practised according to my invention.

The builder consists broadly of a low and substantially water-tight retaining wall 1, constructed preferably in a substantially zig-zag line running parallel to the beach and providing landward pockets 2, and seaward pockets 3. Owing to the natural slope of the beach the seaward pockets 3, are shallowest at their apices 5, and the landward pockets 2, are deepest at their apices 4. As a result, the landward flow is deflected by the apices 4, into'the pockets 3, and caused to pass over the walls nearthe shallow part at the apices 5. The receding seaward flow is deflected by the apices 5, and into the pockets 2, so that it is caused to pass back over the barrier at apices 4, at which points the top of the wall is highest from the beach. In this way the seaward flow is checked by the wall 1, and forms pools in pockets 2 in which the sand precipitates while the clear'water flows off over the top.

The builder may be of any convenient construction or material. In the embodiment .shown in the drawings I have employed boards 10, set in the sand to a depth suflicient to prevent leakage and set at right angles to each other so as to form a zigzag line. These boards are built up above the level of the beach to a height suflicient to enable them to exercise a retarding action on the receding flow. In order to support boards 10, and hold them properly in place, piles 11, are driven on opposite sides of the boards. These piles are driven deep enough to provide the requisite strength and support for boards 10, but should ex-- tend a sufiicient height above the level of the beach to enable them to support other boards which may be subsequently placed on top of the original wall as the pockets fill up with sand.

At either end of the builder a wing wall 6, may be run back beyond high water mark, at any desired angle, or the end may be connected with a spur jetty 7 Similar walls or spurs may be run back as often as desired T from any one of the landward apices 5, to prevent the scouring of the beach bycoastwise currents.

Obviously, the carrying out of my process isnot limited to any one structure, but the builder may be varied as to material, height, .shape or form, as circumstances will admit, but it is necessary that some sort of pocket or pockets be formed which do not oppose the front of the landward flow, but constrict it and enable it to pass over the top of the barrier, but are capable of retarding the lower layer of a seaward flow.

Referring more particularly to Figs. III and IV, Fig. III, represents a builder when first placed on the beach. It is placed slightly above the lower water line 15, and the top board 12, is arranged to be slightly.

' below the high water line 16. In this way some of the waves with each tide are compelled to flow over it, carrying sand which will be deposited and caught by the builder. The piles 11, however, roject up to the line 17, of the storm tide, a ove which the waves never come, and above which any builder barrier would be useless.

Fig. IV, shows the builder after it has been in operation for some time, and has been filled to its capacity, building up the beach to its storm level by the addition of other boards above the board 12, which was I originally the top but which is now quite buried. A second builder 18, similar to the first has been erected at a point on the seaconsists in causing each landward flow caused by the waves to pass over a barrier at certain points, dividing each seaward fiow at-said 'points,and causing it to pass aback over said barrier at certain other points, whereby it is checked sufiiciently to permit precipitation of the sand carried 3.. The processpt beach building which landward flow caused the waves, whereby itis given power enough to carry sand with it over a barrier at a certain oint and dividing each seaward flow at sald points, whereby it is caused to pass back over said barrier at certain other points, where it is checked sufficiently to permit precipitation of the sand carried thereby.

4. The process of beach building, which consists in providing on a beach within tidal limits a three-sided inclosure, capable of retaining sand, and causing the landward flow occasioned by the waves to be deflected and constricted toward one or more points along the front of said inclosure, whereby at said consists in'constricting a portion of each point or points the flow is given power enough to carry sand with it over the front of the inclosure, and checking each receding fiow sufliciently to permit precipitation of the sand carried thereby.

5. In a beach builder, thc combination of substantially water-tight means for constricting a portion of each landward flow toward a certain point whereby it is given suflicient power to carry sand with it over a barrier at that point, means for deflecting each seaward flow away from that point to points where no landward flow is encountered, and means for checking the seaward flow at said points sufiiciently to permit precipitation of the sand carried thereby.

6. A continuous zigzag and substantially water-tight retaining wall located on a beach subject to wave erosion, and extending above said beach a sufiicient height to direct the landward flow to certain points and the seaward flow to certain other points.

7. A continuous zigzag and substantially,

water-tight retaining wall located on a beach subject to wave erosion, said wall having a continuously level top extending above the beach to such a height that each landward flow is divided by the seaward points, and caused to pass over the wall at the landward points, while the seaward flow is divided by the landward points, and caused to pass backover the wall at the seaward points.

8. A continuous zigzag and substantially water-tight retaining .wall located on a beach subject to waveerosion in such a position as to provide seaward'pockets-and landward pockets, together with side walls extending back from said zigzag wall toward the land to a point beyond the high water mark.

9. A substantially water-tight retaining seaward flow is divided by said apex and located on a beach subject towaveerosion caused to flow back over the wall at other Within the tidal limits, said inclosure having points. 7 I a plurality of seaward points, whereby each I 310. three-sided and substantially waterincoming How is divided and caused to flow 5 tight inclosure capable of retaining sand over the wall intermediate said points.

located on a beach subject to wave erosion In testimony whereof, I have hereunto Within the tidal limits, said inclosure having signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylii a zigzag wall substantially parallel to' the Vania, this seventeenth day'of May 1915.

shore line and side Walls running back from 10 said zigzai wall to a point above the 'high JOSEPH PERCY. REMINGTON water mar Witnesses:

' 11. A three sided and substantially water- JAMES H. BELL,

tight inelosure capable of retaining sand E. L. FULLERTON.

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