Abstract

Gabions are steel mesh cages filled with stones. Recently, they have had a great diffusion for numerous applications such as erosion control and soil retention along cuts and natural slopes. The study of their mechanical behaviour under different loading conditions is a fundamental prerequisite for an improved understanding of their overall performance and in a design perspective. In this respect, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) appears a robust and effective technique. The DEM is particularly suited for modelling granular materials, and recently it has efficiently been applied for modelling deformable structures such as welded meshes. This work presents a discrete framework for the modelling of rock-filled gabions. The gabion module is modelled as an assembly of deformable cylindrical elements, while the filling material is represented using rigid aggregates of spherical particles. The tensile behaviour of the gabion elements is set in order to fit the mechanical response of the steel bars adopted in practice. The model is applied to analyse a uniaxial compression test on a single gabion.

Introduction

Gabions are cellular structures fabricated from a steel mesh and filled with rocks. These elements are nowadays largely applied in engineering practice. They are considered to be a "green" structural solution and their applications range from retaining structures to riverbank erosion control (see Figure 1a).

Gabion cells are characterised by a non-trivial mechanical behaviour. On one hand, the structural cage permits the self-stability of the cell and provide confinement of the filling material; on the other hand, the latter provides an internal resistance that permits the gabion cell to support significant external loads. Finally, the discrete nature of the granular filling determines that its interaction with the structural elements and local effects (e.g. force localisation due to stones alignment) may largely affect the overall behaviour of the gabion.

This content is only available via PDF.
You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.