Analysis of SolMax PYRAMATTRESS

 Project Duration: June 2023 – July 2023

 Study Area: Stormwater Management, Roadway Drainage, and Embankment Erosion Control

 Principal Investigator: Dr. Chris Thornton 

 Graduate Student: David Kulish

 Project Partner: SolMax Geosynthetics

 Project Contacts: Drew Loizeaux (dloizeaux@solmax.com) and Dr. Chris Thornton (christopher.thornton@colostate.edu)

Project Description

The PYRAMATTRESS system consists of woven polypropylene geotextile mats arranged and folded so that an infill can be placed inside the void. With an additional mat on top of the infill, water can flow through the mattress and over its top. The infill within the system reduces the amount of water in contact with the underlying soil column and helps prevent erosion. Erosion control testing of the PYRAMATTRESS was performed on a variable slope flume with flow capabilities up to 25 cubic feet per second and slopes from 0 to 30%. The objective of each test is to produce a hydraulic condition that causes a failure to the mattress system so that a hydraulic threshold for intended performance can be calculated. SolMax wished to test the performance between two different baffle wall spacing configurations of their product to see if there was a difference in its performance. Multiple tests were performed as increasing flow rates and increasing slopes to identify at what hydraulic conditions the performance of the PYRAMATTRESS system became unacceptable. Through the data collected during the tests, a maximum allowable velocity threshold was established for the PYRAMATTRESS erosion control mattress. 

Key Highlights

  • The PYRAMATTRESS erosion control product effectively protects soil from erosion
  • A 5-foot spaced baffle wall is more effective than a 10-foot baffle wall
  • Velocity thresholds from 7.7 to 8.8 ft/s were established for this product