Gabions and Mattresses Retaining Wall / Hexagonal Gabions Sea Defence

Gabions are wire mesh boxes, containers or baskets filled with rock to prevent soil erosion and to retain/contain soil particles. Gabions and geotextiles are normally used together to reduce water velocities and to re-capture river bed sediment in streams. Flat Gabions, called River or Reno Mattresses, are widely used in river courses where soil erosion is a problem over a large flat or sloped area in need of protection against soil loss or scour. They are used mostly in the civil engineering industry, especially in the construction of roadway drainage structures. Recently however, due to the environmental benefits associated with gabions, they are being used in many various applications and industries.

We manufacture Class A Galvanised – or with an additional PVC coating – hexagonal type woven wire mesh gabion materials. The woven mesh has a high tensile strength, as well as a high compressive strength when filled with suitable unweathered rock. Our materials are quality assured, supplied together with the SANS 1580 mark and are used in a very wide range of applications.

Gabions are supplied in a wide range of sizes, commonly measured firstly in length x width x height of basket (all measurements in meters). Standard sized baskets are available, other sizes can sometimes be made available depending on the quantity required (it should be noted that the latter requires a longer period of time to be manufactured than standard sized units).

Gabion Baskets

Gabion Baskets – Manufactured using hexagonal woven mesh type, Class A Galvanized or with a 0,5mm thickness PVC coating, with aperture 80 x 100mm, and mesh wire diameter of 2.7mm, salvage wire dia. of 3.4mm.

Length(m) x Width(m) x Height(m) = Volume (m³)  

2 x 1 x 0.5(1 m³)         2 x 1 x 1 (2 m³)

3 x 1 x 0.5 (1.5 m³)     3 x 1 x 1 (3 m³)

4 x 1 x 0.5 ( 2 m³)       4 x 1 x 1 (4 m³)

6 x 2 x 0.5( 6 m³)        2 x 0.5 x 0.5 (0.5 m³)

1.5 x 1 x 1 ( 1.5 m³)    4 x 0.5 x 0.5 ( 1 m³)

1 x 1 x 1 (1 m³)

River Mattress

River Mattresses – Manufactured using hexagonal woven mesh type, Class A Galvanized or with a 0.50mm thickness PVC coating, mesh aperture 60 x 80mm, mesh wire diameter of 2.20mm and salvage wire diameter of 3.4mm.

Length(m) x Width(m) x Height(m) = Volume (m³)  or Length x Width = Plan Area (m2)   

2 x 1 x 0.30 (0.6 m³) or (2 m2)   6 x 2 x 0.17(2.04 m³) or (12 m2)

3 x 1 x 0.30 (0.9 m³) or (3 m2)   6 x 2 x 0.23(2.76 m³) or (12 m2)

4 x 1 x 0.30 (1.2 m³) or (4 m2)   6x 2 x 0.30(3.6 m³) or (12 m2)

Features and Benefits

Gabion baskets have been used on an international scale for a long period of time and are preferred on government projects due to some of the following reasons:

1.       High strength – the use of unweathered within the gabion provide high compressive strength.

2.        Enhanced flexibility – woven steel wire mesh is used for the baskets, allowing movement over expansive soils without failure.

3.      Creates employment opportunities – gabions require a lot of manpower, with little use of machinery required. Unskilled labor from local communities can be used and trained in a short time period.

4.    Low environmental impact – vegetation can be incorporated into the gabion system to cover the gabion or mattress protection in a short time.

5.        High porosity – unlike concrete, gabions don’t require weep-holes for water pressure release behind the retaining walls. They have a 35% pore space volume, allowing free movement of water through the walls, and soil fines movement are blocked with a geotextile filter fabric.

6.        Bomb and earthquake proof – gabion structures can provide protection for bomb shelters and earthquakes, especially when filled with rock and soil due to its high flexibility and strength properties.

7.        Mattress linings – offer vegetation growth and the benefit of microorganisms within the structure to provide food for insects, fish and animals in river situations, unlike the environment created using a solid or segmented concrete lining with little environmental benefits.

8.        Simple – Local labor is used to erect baskets and can be onsite in a short period of time.

9.        Durable – vegetative root growth will enhance the strength of the structure by binding the rocks together and stabilizing it with soil infill in streams.

10.    Economical – suitable rock infill and the use of local labor can be sourced from quarries and communities near the site.

Applications

Gabions have been around for over a hundred years and have a wide range of applications and new ones are continually being found. We have listed below the most common applications to date, manufactured using either woven double twisted or welded square mesh.

l         Mass – gravity retaining walls                                    Skin – revetment walls

l         Reinforced soil walls                                                  Terrace walls

l         Channel lining                                                            River training structures

l         Gabion weirs                                                              Dam embankment protection

l         Roadway culvert in and outlet structures                   Low-level and Irish crossings

l         Longitudinal river structures                                      Biofilters (Sewage Plants)

l         Hydrochambers (Water storage)                               Rockfall mesh netting

l         River diversion structures                                          Mine – primary crush tip walls

l         Architectural applications                                          Wall cladding

l         Boundary walls                                                          Bridge abutment protection

l         Sound barriers                                                          Fish Farms           

l         Gabion sign supports                                                Gabion bars for pubs

l         Gabion furniture                                                        Gabion ornaments

1. Water-proof paper inside and wrap with plastic film outside;

2. Pallet packing;

3.Export Worthy;

4. According to your requirements