Advantages of Gabions
Advantages of Gabions
Gabions consist of a rectangular steel wire mesh basket, which when filled with small rocks, forms a section that can be placed into a man-made wall. Dozens of gabions can be locked together and stacked upon each other. Their function provides a barrier to retard and slow erosion processes caused by water or excessive seepage on steep or mild slopes. Gabions have several beneficial advantages to the environment.
Advantages -- Handling and Construction
The construction materials for gabion walls are easy to transport to sites, easy to unload and place. The rock fill comes in various sizes and colors to accommodate the volume and design of each wall, making them customized for each application. The gabions can be placed to follow a grade along a wall, form the banks of stream beds and reinforce dunes in coastal areas. The tops of gabion walls can taper to follow any change in landscape elevation. Speed of construction remains fast.
Advantages -- Endurance
Gabion walls resist breakage and separation, due to the flexibility of their wire mesh construction. They can endure repeated wave pounding and stream flow without disintegration. The gravel and rocks used in gabion construction are natural to the environment and can endure years of wear through water erosion. The galvanized wire used in the mesh resists corrosion and rust.
Advantages -- Application
Gabion walls can be used in the formation of pond and damn walls, as well as cladding for building structures. Cement caps can be placed on top of gabion walls, similar to the way sidewalks cap the top of wall structures. Gabions can be used to fashion interconnected beds for slope stabilization, riverbanks and drainage channels. They provide protection against hill and mud slides, where the topsoil is loose and has no root foundation. Gabion walls provide protection against storm surge and wave erosion on beaches and tidal berms.
Advantages -- Drainage
Due to the pebble and gravel construction of gabion walls, the permeability remains good, allowing sufficient natural drainage of runoff, while decreasing the water velocity by breaking it up and dispersing the pressure over a wide area.
