Gabion

A gabion ( Gabbione of Italian, large cage '), also gabion, bulk bin, wall stone basket or wire ballast box called, is a container filled with stones wire basket. It is used in landscape architecture, hydraulic engineering and road construction to build walls, for the construction of visual or noise barriers, to the slope fixture and retaining wall ( about as an alternative to conventional dry-stone walls in vineyards ). As an interceptor on slopes serve gabions of recording of the horizontal earth pressure. They are also used as an alternative to prefabricated or solid walls of stone or concrete.

Use and production

From the military, they are also known as gabions and were in the Middle Ages from willow braided. The filling of gabions consists of stones or sand or earth. In gabions without any special requirements regarding the appearance, the filler material is simply poured. Gabions are generally produced in sizes from 0.25 to 4 m³. As with any Erdstützbauwerk care must be taken to an appropriate foundation and, if necessary drainage. Originally the joints should fully contact the ground and the wire rot. Today, the cages made ​​of galvanized steel are made so that they remain stable over several decades. As a noise protection wall gabions are stacked on busy streets outside housing estates. With topsoil covered over long greening " sound walls" and provide a habitat for small animals. A variant used only recently been gabions as the supporting concrete pre- blinded lower wall elements. In hydraulic can gabions, in contrast to stationary walls or concrete structures, are sold and installed usually without draining or lowering of the river bed.

In the rock fills a distinction between bulk baskets and wall stone baskets. The bulk bins are filled completely with frost-proof and pressure resistant enough stones (gravel ). Most common types of stone are granite, basalt, quartzite, dolomite and limestone. Sandstone is less suitable, but it is used where it is one of the traditional material. The wall stone baskets can be blinded to the visible sides with bricks or boards; the remainder of these gabion is filled with gravel.

With higher quality and therefore more expensive gabions the view surface is layered by hand at least.