Resisting washout concrete at Weston-super-Mare seafront

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Tarmac provided specialist ready-mixed concretes for the construction of the Weston-Super-Mare sea front enhancements in the inter-tidal zone.

Challenges

Birse Coastal needed to modernise the existing sea defences in Weston-super-Mare to bring them up to the recommended standard of protection against possible flooding. At the same time Birse needed to also upgrade the public spaces on the sea front.

By the time Phase 1 was complete, Tarmac will have supplied 2,500m3 of ready-mixed concrete to the foreshore area of the site from its ready-mixed concrete plant located in Weston-super-Mare. This included 1200m3 of specialist Toproc UW microsilica concrete, which is designed specifically for underwater applications.

The challenge for Birse Coastal and Tarmac was considerable. This is as the concrete had to be placed in Weston's inter-tidal zone, (with a tidal range of 15m, it is the second largest in the world), which meant the material needed to resist washout. As it was also being installed on an incline of 1 in 2, it also needed to be capable of full compaction without slumping down the slope and to ultimately receive and retain a tamped finish. Long-term durability was also an essential property, with the concrete face having to resist impact loads from waves and tidal abrasion during its life.

 

For details read the full case study: Weston-super-Mare Seafront Enhancements (pdf, 493kb)
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