What Are Waler Beams Used For?
No, there is no correlation to a certain Australian horse breed nor a person who hunts down large aquatic mammals. In the context of construction, waler beams, or just walers, are structures that are added onto larger assemblies for a specific purpose. Their role may vary somewhat in different situations. Here, we will give a brief overview of structural waler beams to the question: What are waler beams used for?
What Is a Waler?
A structural waler is a horizontal beam attached with bolts to a larger upright structure. It can be placed at varying heights along the side of that structure and may be constructed from various materials. In general, these include steel, wood, and composites. The structures that you may see with walers on them are often retaining walls and docks. Walers’ overall purpose is to support the structure they are attached to.
Specific Purposes
Walers are horizontal because they are meant to distribute the weight that the wall or dock is holding up evenly across the entire length of the structure. Without them, some sections may shift out of place from the others. Damage may also occur since some areas are bearing more of a burden than others. Diagonally slanting braces that point out from the walers into the ground can further the walers’ capacity to hold up the structure in some instances.
When structural walers are installed on water-based retaining walls and docks, they may also help to buffer the walls and docks from boats that bump against them. The waler beams absorb the force from passing vessels and spread it out from the point of impact.
Though they aren’t the most noticeable aspect of many retaining walls and docks, waler beams maintain the security of those structures and ensure the safety of the people who encounter them. For a reliable building material that has strength, flexibility, and resilience, choose structural plastic lumber produced by Tangent Materials. Our products can be successfully implemented in many aqueous applications, including plastic retaining walls, fenders, and waler beams.