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As described in other sections of the web site gabion structures are built by confining natural stone within individual gabion units which have been mechanically connected together to create a monolithic structure. A layer of geotextile filter fabric is placed between the gabion structure and the retained soil interface to prevent fines and small soil particles from leaching through the stone fill or structure during high flows or draw down providing complete soil retention, and hard armor protection unique to gabion structures.
Once the gabion structure is in place soils are inevitably deposited into the stone fill of the gabion structure resulting from surface drainage of the retained soils and by soils carried in the water flow being deposited into the structure during draw down. The process of soils slowly being deposited into the gabion structure occurs naturally and once the volume of soil within the voids of the stone fill is adequate vegetation begins to take root inundating the structure. Over time the gabion structure becomes naturally fully vegetated reinforcing the overall strength of the gabion structure while providing the advantages of a complete soil retention and hard armor solution while returning the environment back to its natural ecological condition. |
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| For slope protection and channel lining applications the soils within the voids of the stone fill are stable during dry periods and subjected to tractive forces only during hydraulic flows allowing soils to collect quickly, however for retaining walls and vertical slope protections the soils within the voids of the stone fill engages not only tractive forces from hydraulic impact but also gravitational forces. The result is that retaining walls and vertical slope protection structures may take longer for the natural bio-engineering process to take place. |
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| Successfully initiating and establishing vegetation into a gabion structure during the construction phase is directly related to the volume of soil placed and sustained within the voids and on the surface of the gabion stone fill. |
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