Fascine mattress

Preparation of a fascine mattress prior to immersion in Wenduine
A fascine mattress being prepared for sinking in the port of Wanssum on the Maas

A fascine mattress (Dutch: Zinkstuk, literally sink piece), is a large woven mat made of brushwood, typically willow twigs and shoots, used to protect riverbeds and other underwater surfaces from scour and erosion. They are similar in construction to a fascine, but are primarily used for hydraulic engineering works, typically to strengthen the banks of rivers and streams, as well as coastal structures like revetments and groynes.

Modern fascine mattresses utilise a layer of geotextile in order to fulfill the competing requirements of water permeability balanced with the need to be impervious to sand. Prior to the advent of synthetic geotextiles in the 1960s, a layer formed from reeds was incorporated to make the fascine mattress sand-tight.[1][2][3]

Fascine mattresses have been used worldwide,[4] but are particularly common in The Netherlands, where significant expertise in their preparation and construction is available, and where the materials required for their construction are harvested in specially created plantations.[5]

  1. ^ van Breen, L.G. (1920). Hollands' Rijshout (in Dutch). Goes: Oosterbaan en Le Contre. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ Hakkeling, B. (1970). Zink- en aanverwante werken, benevens het hoe en de wijze waarop [Sink pieces and related works, including the methodologies] (in Dutch). The Hague: VBKO. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Mirafi® Fascine Mattress - TenCate Geosynthetics Asia". Geosynthetics Asia. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  4. ^ Van der Wal, M. (17 April 2000). Water en bodem standzeker (Moderne rivierkunde): Bangladesh [Water and Soil Stability (Modern River Science): Bangladesh] (Report) (in Dutch). Stichting PAO. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  5. ^ Crans, H.; Boom, L.; van Mazijk, A.S.; Mouw, K.A.G. (1982). "Samenvattingen en beoordeling van literatuur aanwezig bij ONW in relatie met de constructies zinkstuk met zool en zandworsten mat" [Summaries and evaluations of literature present at ONW in relation to the constructions of fascine mattresses with base and sand mat]. Rapport Rijkswaterstaat (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via TU Delft Repository.