Gabions

The McArthur Group is one of the leading wholesale merchants of gabions contractors & trade throughout the UK. Gabions are modular building blocks formed of wire mesh and filled onsite with rock, stone or crushed concrete (large aggregate).

Although gabions can theoretically be manufactured of any type of wire or plastic mesh, the most suitable type of mesh is a dimensionally stable mesh that is non-raveling. Welded wire mesh has now become the principal mesh used in the manufacture of gabions.

The mesh is a welded wire square mesh of 76.2mm x 76.2mm & is available supplied with a galvanised finish. The gabions are supplied flat packed and are wired (heli called) onsite to form their recognizable box shape.

Gabion Applications

Mass Gravity Retaining Walls

Gabion walls are flexible structures where the design is based on the mass of the gabions providing stability against the disturbing forces due to the soil & surcharges. In general gabion walls are inclined at 6 degrees from the vertical to improve stability, with the correct gabions specification the inclination can be increased normally to a maximum of 10 degrees which can provide cost savings in design. Care should be taken in designing vertical walls because of their flexible nature.

Fencing with Gabions

Gabion fencing is the construction of thin section walls, normally 0.3 to 0.5 wide with vertical faces. The gabions cannot provide stability on their own; they require additional support to resist wind loading in the form of steel sectional posts. The design can consider the stability provided by the mass of the wall with the post providing the resistance to the resultant moment required to provide adequate factors of safety.

Loadings due to wind and pedestrian barriers must be considered in design.

Free Standing Walls

Free standing perimeter or sound walling formed of gabions are preferably trapezoidal in section, the mass providing stability against wind loading in pedestrian barrier loading.

Other applications consist of: