Proc. of Int. Symp. on Geoenvironmental Eng.

, ISGE2009 915
September 8-10, 2009, Hangzhou, China

PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS OF GABION

Guo-Lin YANG1, Zhe-Zhe LIU2, Gui-Lin XU3 and Xiang-Jing HUANG4

ABSTRACT: A gabion is a box-shaped container filled with soil or rock which can be used to prevent soil erosion and
keep slope stable. New material and modern manufacturing technology revitalize gabion type structure which has a long
history. The use of gabion type system is nowadays a common practice which enables engineers to provide effective
protections to a wide range of structures. An overview of some applications of the gabion type system is presented in
this paper, as well as several engineering examples, in order to highlight the main advantages of this system, together
with their functional characteristics.

KEYWORDS: gabion, mattress, flexibility, eco-friendly structure

INTRODUCTION The welded diamond mesh gabion is beyond the scope

of this paper as it is of such inferior strength and
A gabion is a rectangular, columniform or mattress- flexibility.
shaped container filled with soil or rock which can be The wire diameter varies but it is typically 2.7 or 3.0
used to protect bank or build retaining wall (Fig. 1). mm (2.2 mm for mattresses) and presents an anti-corrosion
Gabions have been used for several millennia in Egypt treatment based on a Zn-Al alloy, whose durability
and China. But for a long time, gabions were constructed characteristics are higher than the traditional heavy zinc
with plant materials, which severely limited their useful coating. The plastic coating, originally Polyvinyl Chloride
life. In about 1879, a firm in Italy is thought to have first (PVC), has been recently converted to a cross-linked
used wire mesh in the construction of gabion baskets polyethylene (XLPE), with higher mechanical characteristics
(Freeman et al. 2000). Since then, gabions have experienced and longer life. The diameter of XLPE protected wires is
much progress by taking advantage of modern 2.7/3.7 mm (2.2/3.2 mm for mattresses), guaranteeing
technology. therefore a good mechanical resistance (Vicari et al.
2002). According to the requirement of BS1052:
1980(1986), the tensile strength of the steel wire should
be in the range of 380~500Mpa and the minimum
elongation rate at failure should be 12%. The double
twisted hexagonally woven mesh configuration ensures
that the force can be distributed evenly to the steel wire
and if one wire was to accidentally break, the mesh
would not unravel (Fig. 2)( Maccaferri China Pty Ltd).

Fig. 1 Gabion basket unit

MATERIAL OF GABION

The gabion discussed in this paper is flexible cage

made of hexagonally woven double twisted wire mesh. Fig. 2 Details of hexagonal mesh and coated steel wire

1
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Central South University , China. Email: yangguolin6301@[Link]
2
M.E, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Central South University , China. Email: asukazhezhe@[Link]
3
M.E, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Central South University , China. Email: xuguilin606@[Link]
4
Ph.D, Design Institute of Traffic Planning and Survey of Hunan Province, China. Email: hncshxj@[Link]
916

FILL FOR GABION required, they may be cut on site to fit into existing
structures. Gabion walls may include woven mesh
The rock fill should be clean, hard and not show any reinforcement extending from the rear wall face into fill
sign of weathering as well as not disintegrate on to create a soil reinforced structure significantly reducing
exposure to water during service life. It should be evenly the cost of traditional gravity gabion walls.
graded, be angular to provide interlock and have a The fastening procedure ensures units acts as one
specific gravity (SG) of at least 2.4t/m3. Rock with an monolithic homogeneous structure. The same cannot be
SG less than 2.4t/m3 can be used, provided further said for loosely placed rock armour where each rock acts
stability analyses and weathering tests are carried out. individually and therefore needs tobe excessively large.
The rock shall be large enough to prevent individual
pieces from passing through the mesh opening. A rock Permeable Structures
fill size between 1.5D to 3D is recommended to limit the
void ratio and maximize productivity (Chaychuk 2005). Rigid (semi-rigid) structure such as precast concrete
In all cases the rock sizes shall allow for the placement plate and cast-in-place concrete plate is always
of three or more layers of rock within the each gabion impermeable (semi-impermeable). Once local water
compartment and two or more layers of rock within each erosion damage occurred, the scope of damage would
mattress compartment (Vicari et al. 2002). expand ceaselessly, even result in the failure of whole
structure. In contrary, the gabion type structure are
approximately 30% voided, pore water pressures are
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF GABION SYSTEM easily dissipated through the structure without build up
of hydrostatic pressures (Chaychuk 2005). This inherent
Flexible gabion type protection acts as one monolithic benefit ensures that the natural banks are not isolated
homogeneous structure as it was made of granular from the river.
material fastened (laced) by woven steel wire mesh. The
gabion strength comes from a double twisted hexagonal Convenient and Economical Structures
mesh of steel wire which is reinforced by selvedges of
heavier wire running along the edges and by transverse Gabions and Reno mattresses are ease of installation
diaphragms. The double twisted wire will not unravel, in any environment, without the aid of specialized
even when cut. This system can utilize the weight of the equipment or personnel, reducing costs. Future modification
granular material as well as the characteristic of high of the structure is straightforward; e.g. new layers can be
strength and flexibility of woven wire mesh. installed to increase the height of the structure (provided
structural stability is verified). Gabion structures also
have the benefits of immediate performance following
ADVANTAGES OF GABION SYSTEM installation and ease of maintenance.

There are many advantages of the gabion type system Eco-friendly Structures
over conventional protections that make it an appealing
solution to prevent soil erosion and keep slope stable. Special gabion units are available that allow filling at
the front face with soils to provide a vegetated solution
Durable Structures to slope stabilization. The opportunity to combine live
plants with a high sound absorption capability, make
The durability of the gabion type system depends to a gabion structures ideal solutions to balance engineering
great extent on the durability of the wire mesh. The and environmental needs (Maccaferri Pty Ltd 2003).
present technology of zinc coated plus the external
revetment with a PVC or XLPE coating guarantee the
durability of gabion type structure. Galfan (Zn-5% APPLICATIONS OF GABION
Al-MM) coated reno mattress produced by Maccaferri
has been certified by independent international body In the past more than one hundred years, hexagonally
BBA to offer a design life of over 60 years and when woven double twisted wire mesh has been used in civil
plus PVC the design life extends to 120 years. engineering and hydraulic engineering successfully.

Flexible and Monolithic Structures Retaining Structures

Gabions and Reno mattresses easily accommodate Soil subjected to dynamic or static loading must be
curves, transitions and abrupt changes of direction. If stabilized to ensure equilibrium of the surrounding