Green solution used for retaining walls

Geotextiles manufacturer Fibertex SA is
working on a project that
entails the supply of more than 12 000 geosynthetic sand container (GSC)
bags that are being used as a green wall solution rather
than using conventional retaining blocks.

The GSC bags – being supplied to a project in Salt
Rock, on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast – are
being designed in conjunction with civil contractors Siyamba Earthworx.

The project – which
started in July last year and is ongoing – required retaining walls built
around the property to enable the excavation of foundations for a new house.

Fibertex GSC bags – a lightweight, durable and
cost-effective substitute for traditional earth-retention systems – were
used as facing for the reinforced walls of the installation. GSC bags are
an attractive and efficient protection for slopes and also assist with erosion
control, says Fibertex SA key
accounts manager Jeremy Muthusamy.

The contractor has used
these GSC bags as a medium for planting shrubs, which will eventually cover the
entire structure to attain the green wall requested by the client.

Although site conditions were fairly good, he adds
that it was important that the new construction did not
disturb the existing infrastructure and
retaining walls of three well-established properties bordering this plot.

“The Fibertex technical design team
designed a reinforced wall suitable for site conditions and for the client’s
requested green-faced structure with enhanced aesthetics,” he notes.

Fibertex nonwoven geotextiles, which are
manufactured from highly ultraviolet (UV) stabilised virgin polypropylene (PP)
or recycled polyester fibres, are gaining popularity in landscaping and building installations.

GSC bags are made from a strong and highly porous
fabric, which is mechanically needle-punched together. By filling these bags
with a free-draining medium, such as sand, a durable retaining structure can be
built, which allows for the free passage of water through the structure.

Secugrid geogrids – with high modulus extruded
monolithic bars and welded junctions – were used to minimise soil deformation
under tensile loads over the lifetime of the structure in accordance with the
engineer’s design requirements.

All variations of Fibertex GSC bags are
manufactured at the company’s plant, in KwaZulu-Natal, to the stringent
international quality-control policy of the Fibertex group.

“Fibertex UV stabilised virgin PP geotextiles are the only nonwoven geotextiles produced in Africa with certification for durability of more than 100 years, in accordance with the latest European standards,” concludes Muthusamy. http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/green-solution-used-for-retaining-walls-2019-02-15