Terra Aqua Inc. products
Gabion - Gravity Retaining Walls
Terra Aqua’s gabion gravity retaining wall systems are monolithic gravity mass structures and follow standard design methods for gravity retaining walls. The following information is provided by Terra Aqua as a design guide to assist Professional Engineers, Government Agencies, Land Developers, and Contractors in the proper design, specification, construction and inspection of gabion gravity retaining walls.
Stable Slope Walls System (MSE Walls)
The Terra Aqua Stable Slope System is a mechanically reinforced soil gabion wall fabricated from a continuous double twisted PVC coated wire mesh that makes up the gabion basket facing and the mesh reinforcement panel. Terra Aqua’s monolithic design of the Stable Slope System allows the mesh reinforcement and the gabion wall face to offer porosity, strength, durability, and flexibility. Each unit should be placed in the direction of maximum strength, which is the direction the mesh is woven, lying parallel to the direction of soil stress.
Channel Linings/Earth Anchor Walls
Terra Aqua Gabions and Reno Mattresses offer designers, engineers, contractors and development planners numerous unique advantages for channel linings applications. Gabions and Reno Mattresses will allow the designer to stabilize the channel base and banks, predetermine the value of roughness for the channel base and banks, prevent soil erosion, increase the capacity of the channel, promote vegetation, reduce seepage of the channel and most important determine the soil movement under the lining.
Rockfall - High-Resistance Netting
Terra Aqua High-Resistance Netting is ideally suited for difficult solutions to rock face problems, since the double-twist, hexagonal-woven mesh does not unravel when wires abrade. Fractured stones are trapped and confined against the slope should isolated wires fatigue from prolonged stress. Additionally, this double-twisted hexagonal type of netting has the high mechanical resistance required to prevent the danger of sudden rock shock loads and dissipate rock fall energy created from loose fractured rock.
Slope Protection
Terra Aqua gabions and reno mattresses are commonly designed and constructed in a wide variety of configurations to provide long term slope protection solutions. Terra Aqua offers gabion and reno mattress slope protection design solutions that prevents soil erosion and scour, provides bio-engineering opportunities for surface vegetation, and/or stabilizes the slope against lateral earth pressure. The design engineer must consider the existing soil conditions, gradient of slope, applied loads, hydraulic impact, shear, and other factors when choosing the appropriate slope protection solution. As with any Geotechnical solution a complete analysis of the existing slope and soil conditions should be made by a Professional Geotechnical Engineer to obtain an understanding of the slope and soil parameters.
Stream Bank Protection
Terra Aqua’s gabion products and solutions have been developed specifically for Stream Bank Protection Channel Lining, Scour Protection, Earth Retention and similar applications. Their use as an ideal solution for these applications has grown over the years due to the numerous advantages and ease of implementation both from the design and construction perspectives. The Natural Bio-Engineering Process of Gabion Structures and specific Bio-Engineering Construction Methods ensures that most all gabion structures will either naturally vegetate over time or can be vegetated immediately (see bio-engineering section).
Bridge Abutments and Wing Walls
Gabions can be employed in a variety of ways to stabilize soil conditions around bridges, bridge piers and bridge abutments slopes. Generally the angle of the slope to be protected shall determine what structure type is best suited for each application. Slopes with an angle of 1on1 or steeper require standard gabion retaining wall protection. Slopes with an angle of 1 on 1.5 or less may use a gabion or reno mattress slope protection.
Culvert Headwalls, Wing Walls, & Scour Aprons
Culverts, whether they are box culverts or pipe culverts, often require soil stabilization around the localized area of culvert placement, especially at the inlets and outlets. To stabilize soil conditions around culvert Inlets and Outlets gabion headwalls, wing walls, and scour aprons are often implemented.
Drop Structures or Weirs
Gabion weirs or drop structures are classified in three types, according to the shape of their downstream face at the center of flow. The vertical drop structure or weir is the most basic type, and is most often used for small weirs in a channel system controlling only a reach of the stream. An essential component of the weir, is the upstream ramp, preferably formed from compacted clay, or other suitable material. The upstream ramp provides three advantages: protection of the upstream side of the gabion against damage, presentation of a smoother profile to the flow and added stability to the overall structure. In the design of vertical weirs, attention must be paid to the dissipation of kinetic energy of the cascade at the toe of the structure.
Terra Aqua - High-Resistance Rockfall Netting
Terra Aqua High-Resistance Rockfall Netting is ideally suited for difficult solutions to rock face problems, since the double-twist, hexagonal-woven mesh does not unravel when wires abrade. Fractured stones are trapped and confined against the slope should isolated wires fatigue from prolonged stress. Additionally, this double-twisted hexagonal type of netting has the high mechanical resistance required to prevent the danger of sudden rock shock loads and dissipate rock fall energy created from loose fractured rock.