Mass Gravity Retaining Walls
2021
Middleton, Manchester
N/A
Williams Walling Ltd
Rogers Geotechnical / Maccaferri ltd
Factory Haulage Yard Expansion
Welded gabion wall nearing completion
Corner detail of welded gabion wall
Different stone fill types used to create stripes of darker stone
Problem
A factory in Middleton required a lorry turning circle to be constructed. This would cut into an existing sloping area of land and a suitable retaining structure was needed. Consulting engineer Rogers Geotechnical approached Maccaferri for assistance in designing a suitable gabion retaining structure.
Solution
Maccaferri proposed a structure up to 5m high. A balance was found between the height of the structure, the stability of the slope above the wall and also trying to retain the existing trees further up the slope above the gabion wall.
The wall featured 4mm dia welded mesh gabions to meet the landscaping requirements. As welded units do not accommodate high loads in the same way as DT woven mesh gabions, welded units would not normally be used in walls this tall and as such, the design incorporated lower height units and additional detailing for the lower courses of the wall. This helps to spread the high loads on the structure. A larger diameter wire mesh was also specified for the gabion units. The welded units were heavily galvanised with zinc-aluminium alloy to provide a design life of up to 60 years.