Revetment
Encyclopedia
Revetments, or revêtements (the original French
word, meaning something to re-cloth or re-cover), have a variety of meanings in architecture
, engineering
and art history
. In stream restoration
, river engineering
or coastal management
, they are sloping structures placed on banks or cliffs in such a way as to absorb the energy of incoming water
. In military engineering they are structures, again sloped, formed to secure an area from artillery, bombing, or stored explosives. In architecture they are a variety of structures, normally vertical, used to retain a wall, or sometimes just to decorate it. River or coastal revetments are usually built to preserve the existing uses of the shoreline and to protect the slope, as defence against erosion
. For other meanings see below.
). Many materials may be used: wooden piles, loose-piled boulders or concrete shapes, or more solid banks.
According to the U.S. National Park Service
, and referring mostly to their employment in the American Civil War
, a revetment is defined as a "retaining wall
constructed to support the interior slope of a parapet
. Made of logs, wood planks, fence rails, fascine
s, gabion
s, hurdles, sods, or stones, the revetment provided additional protection from enemy fire, and, most importantly, kept the interior slope nearly vertical. Stone revetments commonly survive. A few log revetments have been preserved due to high resin pine or cypress and porous sandy soils. After an entrenchment
was abandoned, many log or rail revetments were scavenged for other uses, causing the interior slope to slump more quickly. An interior slope will appear more vertical if the parapet eroded with the revetment still in place."
, or just for the covering of a wall. In particular the term is used for stone slabs or decorated ceramic
plaques used as the outer facing layer of a wall, especially in Ancient Roman architecture. These may or may not have a structural function in the internal construction of the wall, and may be essentially decorative
. Marble or terracotta was used, the latter often decorated in moulded relief
s. Revetment is also a term used for a riza
or decorated metal cover for most, typically all but the face and perhaps hands, of an Eastern Orthodox icon
.
The wooden revetments are made of thin wooden planks against other sticks of wood. They are not the best of coastal erosion preventing resources but can still help with easing coastal erosion. The water passes through the wooden planks making the water not crash against the cliff face or any other face.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word, meaning something to re-cloth or re-cover), have a variety of meanings in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
. In stream restoration
Stream restoration
Stream restoration or river restoration, sometimes called river reclamation in the UK, describes a set of activities that help improve the environmental health of a river or stream. Improved health may be indicated by expanded habitat for diverse species and reduced stream bank erosion...
, river engineering
River engineering
River engineering is the process of planned human intervention in the course, characteristics or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit. People have intervened in the natural course and behaviour of rivers since before recorded history - to manage the water resources,...
or coastal management
Coastal management
In some jurisdictions the terms sea defense and coastal protection are used to mean, respectively, defense against flooding and erosion...
, they are sloping structures placed on banks or cliffs in such a way as to absorb the energy of incoming water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. In military engineering they are structures, again sloped, formed to secure an area from artillery, bombing, or stored explosives. In architecture they are a variety of structures, normally vertical, used to retain a wall, or sometimes just to decorate it. River or coastal revetments are usually built to preserve the existing uses of the shoreline and to protect the slope, as defence against erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
. For other meanings see below.
Freshwater revetments
Many revetments are used to line the banks of freshwater rivers, lakes, and man-made reservoirs, especially to prevent damage during periods of floods or heavy seasonal rains (see riprapRiprap
Riprap — also known as rip rap, rubble, shot rock or rock armour or "Rip-rap" — is rock or other material used to armor shorelines, streambeds, bridge abutments, pilings and other shoreline structures against scour, water or ice erosion.It is made from a variety of rock types, commonly granite or...
). Many materials may be used: wooden piles, loose-piled boulders or concrete shapes, or more solid banks.
Fortifications
According to the U.S. National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, and referring mostly to their employment in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, a revetment is defined as a "retaining wall
Retaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
constructed to support the interior slope of a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. Made of logs, wood planks, fence rails, fascine
Fascine
A fascine is a rough bundle of brushwood used for strengthening an earthen structure, or making a path across uneven or wet terrain. Typical uses are protecting the banks of streams from erosion, covering marshy ground and so on.-Early military use:...
s, gabion
Gabion
Gabions are cages, cylinders, or boxes filled with soil or sand that are used in civil engineering, road building, and military applications. For erosion control caged riprap is used. For dams or foundation construction, cylindrical metal structures are used...
s, hurdles, sods, or stones, the revetment provided additional protection from enemy fire, and, most importantly, kept the interior slope nearly vertical. Stone revetments commonly survive. A few log revetments have been preserved due to high resin pine or cypress and porous sandy soils. After an entrenchment
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
was abandoned, many log or rail revetments were scavenged for other uses, causing the interior slope to slump more quickly. An interior slope will appear more vertical if the parapet eroded with the revetment still in place."
Architecture and art history
Revetment can be used as a term for a retaining wallRetaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
, or just for the covering of a wall. In particular the term is used for stone slabs or decorated ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
plaques used as the outer facing layer of a wall, especially in Ancient Roman architecture. These may or may not have a structural function in the internal construction of the wall, and may be essentially decorative
Ancient Roman pottery
Pottery was produced in enormous quantities in ancient Rome, mostly for utilitarian purposes. It is found all over the former Roman Empire and beyond...
. Marble or terracotta was used, the latter often decorated in moulded relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s. Revetment is also a term used for a riza
Riza
A riza or oklad , sometimes called a "revetment" in English, is a metal cover protecting an icon. It is usually made of gilt or silvered metal with repoussé work and is pierced to expose elements of the underlying painting. It is sometimes enameled, filigreed, or set with artificial,...
or decorated metal cover for most, typically all but the face and perhaps hands, of an Eastern Orthodox icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
.
The wooden revetments are made of thin wooden planks against other sticks of wood. They are not the best of coastal erosion preventing resources but can still help with easing coastal erosion. The water passes through the wooden planks making the water not crash against the cliff face or any other face.