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Gabions go green with environmentally friendly polymer coating system
Geotechnical specialist Maccaferri, best known for its wire-mesh Gabions used in retaining wall construction, has introduced a new, environmentally friendly protective coating for its double-twist wire based products, which has improved technical performance and environmental compatibility, over traditional coating systems.
Organic-based polyamide coating improves real-world performance and green credentials of Maccaferri Gabions and other wire based products
A huge slender, free-standing Maccaferri Gabion wall - thought to be the biggest in the UK - has been built to screen outdoor filming areas at the BBC Roath Lock studio in Cardiff
The new, specifically formulated PA6 coating is an organic based, extruded polyamide material which has improved adhesion charcateristics, enhanced resistance to mechanical damage and better cold temperature performance. Resistance to hydro- carbon pollutants is also significantly enhanced together with long term strength and elasticity.
According to Maccaferri, the organic polyamide, PA6 coating is also far more environmentally friendly than traditional wire coatings as it contains no pthalates, heavy metals or other ozone depleting chemicals. Furthermore, unlike PVC, it doesn’t emit hydrogen chloride during burning.
Extensive accelerated testing has shown that, compared with traditional PVC or HDPE coatings for double-twist wire products, the new PA6 system is 50% harder and is 25% more malleable, even after long-term exposure to UV. As well as this, results showed that PA6 gave a three-fold improvement in coating-to-wire adhesion, signifi- cantly more resistance to impact and abrasion damage, and achieved a 30% improvement in design life.
44 ENHANCEMENT RATHER THAN ALTERNATIVE
“Although offering better performance, PA6 is not seen as an alternative to PVC coated double-twist wire products, but more an enhancement. We see it being used when PVC or HDPE coated products do not provide users with the required design life, environmental or technical performance” said David Crowther, Maccaferri Technical Manager. “Maccaferri will continue to manufacture PVC coated products for use in less demanding applications” he added.
SIMPLICITY, STRENGTH AND DURABILITY
Woven double-twist mesh Gabions have been a feature of the UK’s industrial landscape for well over a hundred years. These simple, stone filled wire baskets have been used by civil engineers and contractors to stabilise vulnerable embank- ments, build retaining structures, line fast flowing watercourses and prevent coastal erosion.
Their substantial mass and flexible mesh con- struction means that woven mesh Gabion walls can accommodate large differential settlement
without sustaining damage. Their un-bound stone infill also prevents the build-up of damaging hydrostatic pressures behind the wall and, because of these qualities, engineers throughout the world have made gabions their retaining wall solution-of-choice.
In recent years, welded mesh Gabions have become available and are mainly used in architec- tural and cladding applications where differential settlements are minimal and no flowing water is present.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPATIBILITY
From an environmental perspective, the use of natural materials as infill makes Gabions a natural choice in areas of visual and ecological sensitivity. Fill materials are typically quarried durable rock or, in architectural applications, even off-cuts of quarried stone or slate. Recycled crushed concrete is also a popular choice as the re-use of waste material as structural fill offers environmen- tal advantages.
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