Gabions in banks and soil retaining walls

Gabions in banks and soil retaining walls

Erosion protection along lively watercourses is the original and still very popular application of braided gabions and gabion mattresses. Gabions are heavy and massive, but also flexible, smooth and permeable, allowing them to form a sustainable finish of banks without causing hydrostatic pressure or impeding environmental development. A combination of gabions or gabion mattresses with our other anti-erosion products is a good application possibility.
Gabions as weight construction can also retain soil “dry”, protect slopes, reinforce dike and dam feet or bridge a height difference in the area. A tiered approach or pyramid-like structure is recommended in terms of stability. But also “reinforced soil” with continuous mesh for anchoring into the underlying soil mass is a statically pure and materially efficient solution.
A gradual and low slope can be realised in banks using gabion mattresses, a crucial feature of nature-friendly banks. If fast and targeted vegetation is desired or required, we are able to give nature a helping hand by applying “green gabions”, a combination of gabions and Aqua-Flora® mats or rolls.

Braided gabions
Gabion mattresses are made of braided panels. Braided gabions have a hexagonal mesh opening and are manufactured from ‘Galfan’ wire (steel wire with a pre-applied alloy consisting of 90% zinc (Zn) and 10% aluminium (Al)). These gabions are typically applied as gabion mattresses and used as erosion protection of banks. Gabions made of spot-welded mesh panels are usually constructed for large-scale applications and in cases where aesthetics is important.

Spot-welded gabions
Soil retaining walls can be made both of braided and spot-welded gabions. Spot-welded gabions have a rectangular or square mesh opening and are typically manufactured from ‘Galfan’ wire (steel wire with a pre-applied alloy consisting of 90% zinc (Zn) and 10% aluminium (Al)).

Filling
The filling of the gabions may consist of crushed natural stone, crushed rubble, rejected bricks or other materials. Almost everything is possible, provided that the filling is frost-resistant. It is also important for the gradation of the filling to match the mesh chosen to prevent the filling from falling out. It is also possible to fill the gabions with soil, and in that case the gabions are cladded on the inside with a soil retaining fabric or coconut fibres. Or a green gabion is opted for, as mentioned above.