Accessories for gabions

Accessories necessary for the installation of gabions

Gabions are increasingly widespread in Bulgaria, as they are used in various areas of construction and are even used for decorative purposes in the yard and garden. They can perform a number of functions and are suitable for the implementation of various ideas and projects. Thanks to their qualities, as well as their high resistance, they can be used even for the construction of more complex and load-bearing elements.

Gabions are characterized as quite an ecological choice, they are resistant to external influences and at the same time they are durable because they have a long service life. No difficult and expensive maintenance is required after their installation. In addition, they fit perfectly into any landscape without affecting or interfering with natural vegetation and wildlife.

Building a structure with gabions is not a very difficult task. They are relatively easy to install, and the construction and assembly work is easier than when building a metal or reinforced concrete structure. On the other hand , the installation of gabions does not necessarily require expensive and heavy equipment, as well as special skills in the field. Especially decorative gabions can easily be assembled by yourself, only with the help of some other tool.

What are the main components of gabions?

Gabion pages - gabions are metal grids that are connected to each other with the help of spirals or wire. This is how gabion boxes and parallelepipeds are formed, which are filled with a selected filling. Depending on the type of gabions, its sides can be made of electro-welded panels or a network of double-twisted wire. For their production, galvanized wire is used, standard thickness Ф3.00 or Ф4.00, but they can be made of other types. and wire thickness according to customer specifications.

Diaphragms - Diaphragms are a structural part of all larger gabions. They are mandatory for both electrowelded and knitted ones. Diaphragms are an additional sheet of metal grid or mesh that is placed in the gabion itself to prevent its deformation due to a greater load.

Filling - the filling is the inert material with which the gabion structure itself is filled. This filling can be a stone of different fraction and type, which mainly depends on the mesh opening of the gabion itself, as well as on your preferences. Quarry and river stones are most often used. However, there are also more non-standard solutions where wood, recycled plastic, glass and others are used for filling.

What are the accessories involved in the installation of the gabions ?

Gabion structures have high compressive and tensile strength. However, in order to guarantee it, it is important that they are installed correctly and that the connections between them are sufficiently stable to ensure the integrity of the structure. In order to perfectly combine their constituent parts, different types of accessories are used, which guarantee the construction of a strong and sustainable construction system. Accessories for gabions are those elements that provide the important interconnection of individual components.

Galvanized wire spirals

Spirals are used for the installation of electrically welded gabions. They are made using specialized machines from hard galvanized wire. Usually Ф3.00 wire is used, but they can be made to order from other wire sizes. The length of the spirals varies according to the dimensions of the gabion (between 0.50m to 2, 0m).

The function of the spirals (springs) is to connect the individual panels of the gabion into one common shape, and for this purpose they are wound around the periphery of each metal panel. They are extremely easy to put on. It is necessary to assemble the right panels next to each other, then the spiral is passed along their entire length, passing alternately through the holes of the two panels.

The spirals for gabions are strong enough to guarantee the integrity of the structure and not allow it to fall apart into component parts.

Galvanized wire

For gabions, it is recommended to use galvanized wire , from which the grids or nets themselves are made. Galvanized wire is more resistant to external influences and longer lasting, compared to black wire for example.

In electro-welded gabions, the wire can be used to reinforce the connections between the individual panels or to connect the individual gabions.

In woven gabions, the wire is used to close the gabion baskets.

Galvanized wire tensioners

Tensioners are a solid steel element that is bent on both sides in the form of hooks. They are placed in the gabions themselves and serve to stretch the wire. Thanks to them, the exact rectilinear shape of the gabion is achieved, preventing its swelling, which is the result of filling or loading.

Geotextile

Geotextile is a textile material that is characterized by a fibrous and dense structure created from artificial or natural fibers. It is widely used not only in the installation of gabions , but also in general in the construction of various types of facilities in infrastructure construction. Its main application is to preserve the soil characteristics of the terrain. The geotextile or geosynthetics aims to:

• not to allow contamination of the foundation of the gabion structure;
• to ensure maximum effective drainage of the structure;
• to help keep soil layers from mixing and prevent contamination;
• to ensure durability and stability of the structure.

The main functions of geotextiles can be summarized as: filtration, reinforcement, drainage, sealing, separation and protection.

Clamps and clamp pliers

The clamps are made of galvanized wire, which ensures their durability and resistance to external atmospheric influences. The galvanized coating protects them from corrosion processes. Clamps are most widely used in the installation of gabion structures and in the installation of fence systems .

They serve to fix the wires and the individual elements, and can serve to connect the individual components. In a way, they can replace the function of galvanized wire. The difference is that they are not tied manually like the wire, but special clamp pliers are used for this purpose. Thanks to these clamp pliers, the installation period is shortened and the manual work and labor involved are reduced.

Smart Metal Group can offer you everything you need related to gabion systems:

• Electric welded gabions
• Woven gabions
• Decorative gabions
• Filling for gabions