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![]() Appendix A: Design Procedure for Riprap Armor 
Number of tons required; 
Miles transported; 
Cost of transportation per ton-mile; 
Cost per ton for placement; 
Quality control during construction (it is easier to ensure 
even coverage with a narrow gradation than with a wide 
gradation); and 
Need for and cost of filter. 
On large project involving many different design conditions, savings in total 
cost can often be realized by using a few standard gradations, selecting the standard 
gradation next up from the computed gradation. 
A.2.5 LAYER THICKNESS 
All stones should be contained reasonably well within the riprap layer 
thickness to provide maximum resistance against erosive forces. Oversize stones, 
even in isolated spots, may result in riprap failure by precluding mutual support and 
interlock between individual stones, causing large voids that expose filter and bedding 
materials, and creating excessive local turbulence that removes smaller size stone. 
Small amounts of oversize stone should be removed individually and replaced with 
proper size stones. When a quarry produces a large amount of oversized stone, 
consideration should be given to changing the quarrying method, using a grizzly (sieve 
for large rock) to remove the oversize stone, obtaining the stone from another source, 
or increasing the riprap layer thickness to contain the larger stone. The following 
criteria apply to the riprap layer thickness: 
It should not be less than the spherical diameter of the upper limit W100 stone 
or less than 1.5 times the spherical diameter of the upper limit W50 stone, whichever 
results in the greater thickness. The thickness thus determined should be increased 
by 50 percent when the riprap is placed underwater to provide for uncertainties 
associated with this type of placement. At one location in the Missouri River basin 
in the United States, divers and sonic sounders were used to reduce the underwater 
thickness to 1.25 times the dry placement thickness. 
A-9 
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