CA2023581A1 - Lenson panel-stapled gabions and panel-stapled erosion mattresses - Google Patents

Abstract

F o r m 24 2 of 7 ( ss. 21,31,34 and 142 ) A B S T R A C T

Gabion wire baskets have been around for a very long time and have not undergone any changes in design or installation technique since first introduced into North America over 50 years ago.
This product has proven to be very effective as an erosion protection device and now has been widely installed.
The life expectancy of gabions is relative to their exposure to the environment. Our acid rain problem and water pollution minimizes the life of the wire mesh of which they are made; application to shoreline protection on the Great Lakes exposes the wire mesh to abrasion from sand and gravel washing on the wire.
In addition, suitable stone for filling the baskets so same will not be lost through mesh openings is increasingly hard to find, hence smaller mesh sizes are required on exposed faces of the baskets.
Lastly, maintenance and repair of existing gabion installations is a tedious job at present and requires addressing.
Gabion wire baskets are made by very sophisticated, and costly, machines manufactured by Wafios of Germany.
Lenson Panel-Stapled Gabions addresses the above limitations by being manufactured in panel form from which all sizes of gabions can be constructed. These panels are fastened together with a pneumatic fastening tool. Such system reduces cost of manufacture and install-ation and addresses the need for maintenance and repair of existing gabion structures. Also, where exposure may lead to loss of filling stone, smaller mesh-sized panels can be used to form that face of the basket.
One of the serious problems with erosion protection devices is the scour resulting at the toe of same due to the dissipation of energy from water impact. The current available erosion mattresses are made in large dimensions for channel lining purposes and river banks ONLY. Lenson Panel-Stapled Erosion Mattresses addresses this problem as they can be made in all sizes to fit site erosion protection requirements.

Description

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(1) This invention r.elates to erosion protection fox shorelines and r.iverbanks and protection from subsidence and landslides of r.oads, paths, bluffs and earth embankments.
(2) Gabion Technique - gabion baskets are generally manufactured in dimensions 2xlxlm.,3xlxlm.,4xlxlm. with or without sectional inserts. The mesh width of the netting used is generally 3"or~"
(60mm.x 80mm. or 80mm.x lOOmm.); the maximum wire diameter 3.~mm.
The standard method of manufacture is as follows: the peripheral section of the basket is cut to shape by a guillotine (length for instance 2,3, or ~im.),then two side panels of lxlm.,and where required, sectional inserts of the same size. The peripheral section and the side parts have selvedge wires inserted, around which the projecting wire ends of the netting are twisted. The peripheral section and the side parts are joined by spirals. In order to keep the space required to a minimum when transporting the gabion baskets they are folded flat with loose cor.ner ties.
The assembly of the intermediate sections and the final closing of the baskets takes place on the site.

(3) Pan~-5tap~d gabions and Pan~-5tl~p~d erosion mattresses address a variety of difficulties and inconveniences of current gabion practice and significantly lower assembly, transportation and installation costs:
(a) being panels, they can be manufactured by existing wire mesh fencing equipment rather than specially designed, very sophisticated machines produced in Germany.
(b) being panels, they are cheaper to transport vs. existing gabions which are unit structures and folded for shipping.
(c) The Pan~-S~ap~d gabion basket can be constructed of panels having several different sizes of mesh and erosion resistant coatings depending on the availability of rock fill and the type of service, i.e. smaller size mesh panels can form the exposed areas of the basket to prevent loss of small-sized rockfill and additional protective coatings can be given to the wire mesh of such panels depending on the environment they are going to be exposed to, i.e. water pollution, wave abrasion, etc.

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~1 of 7 ~d) maintenance and repair of gabion structures is easily, and.economically, possible as panels can simply be stapled to the exposed faces of existing gabions.
~e) gabion erosion mattresses can be made from the panels in a var.iety of sizes to act as erosion mats at the toe of shorewalls to prevent scour and eventual : failure of such structures from storm-induced wave action.

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Claims (8)

1. A wire mesh basket constructed from heavy duty hexagonal netting filled with stones and piled up on a site to form an engineered structure.

2. A wire mesh basket as defined in claim 1, in which all faces of the basket are individual panels.

3. A wire mesh basket as defined in claims 1 & 2, made in multitude of sizes having the following specifications and dimensions:
Specifications: Two Mesh sizes - 80x100mm.(3"x4" approx.) 60x 80mm.(2"x3" " ) Mesh type - double or triple twisted hexagon Galvanized - zinc coating - 0.85 oz./sq.ft.(min.) (260 gr. /m2) Wire - low carbon steel wire - elongation 15% approx.
-tensile strength - 54,000 to 68,000 p.s.i.
( 38 - 48 kg/mm.2) -perimeter wire-3.84mm.dia.(0.151") -mesh wire-2.95mm,dia.(0.116")

4. A wire mesh basket as defined in claims 2,& 3 in which all panels have a perimeter (selvedge) wire around their. entire perimeter.

5. A wire mesh basket as defined in claims 2,3 & 4 in which all panels are stapled together at their perimeter (selvedge) wires to form a rectangular structure into which rockfill can be placed.

6. A wire mesh basket as defined in claims 2,3,4 & 5 which are fastened together by use of a pueumatic fastening tool made by the Spenax Corporation using 11 gauge galvanized steel fasteners; or similiar.

7. A wire mesh basket as defined in claims 2,3,4,5 & 6 which is fastened by staples to similiar wire mesh baskets to form an engineered structure

8. Individual wire mesh panels which may be stapled to existing deteriorated gabions as a repair procedure.