CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Through currently used primarily in the construction industry throughout the world, the

gabion has been around for centuries. The word “gabion” was derived from the Italian word

gabbione, meaning “big cage”. Originally invented by Leonardo da vinci, the gabion was created

as a support system for the castle San Marco in Milan Felix, et al (1996). Later, the gabion

spread to military use and transformed into a wicker structure. These wicker shells were

transported empty during battle, then staked into place and filled with soil to protect the artillery

gunners. They had no top or bottom and were made in different diameters to allow layering

during transportation. Currently, the gabion wall is most commonly used in civil engineering

applications, as it currently applies mostly to traffic areas and waterways. The gabion wall unit is

used mostly for shore stabilization against erosion. Other uses include retaining walls, temporary

floodwalls, silt filtering, semi-permanent dams, or even a fish barrier. Gabion walls can become

more efficient with time when used as retaining structures. This happens because silt and

vegetation can fill the voids between the rocks, sometimes creating higher strength and better

retaining effectiveness Shevchenko (1996).

Moreover, Shevchenko (1996) also state that gabions are looked upon favorably as

retaining units for many reasons. First, their modularity allows for them to be stacked in various

shapes, conforming to the demands of the site. Second, their lack of rigidity as an entire structure

allows for continuous conformation to potential ground movement for example; settlement or
expansion. This lack of rigidity means that portions of the stacked units can shift with earth

surrounding it without compromising the structural system of the neighboring gabion units. In

relation to water systems, gabions units can be dissipate energy from flowing water and allow

proper drainage.

In Zamboanga City, the researchers aim to design Gabion Walls to use their own weight

to resist the lateral earth pressures, able to withstand significant movements from undercutting or

landslippage.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This research aims to design gabion walls for slope protection, specifically to answer the

ff. questions

1. What will be the dimension of gabion walls?

2. Does the design of gabion courses should fully bear down on the unit below and not

overhang at the rear?

3. Are gabion walls load bearing?

1.3 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

1.3.1 SCOPE

This study on the design of gabion walls consist of the following scope:

a. Gabion walls may be stepped on either the front or the back (soil side) face. The

design of gabion walls is based on the same principles.

Design begins with the selection of trail dimensions for a typical vertical cross section

through the wall. Four main steps must then be followed:

 1. Determine the forces acting on the wall.

2. Check that resisting moment exceeds the overturning moment by a suitable safety

factor.

3. Check that sliding resistance exceeds the active horizontal force falls within the

middle third of the wall’s base, and that the maximum bearing pressure is within

the allowable limit.

b. Design methods of analysis for determining the stability of gabion walls are based on

The Code of Practice BS 8002 which superseded CP2. The two methods considered

are:

- Serviceability Limit State Design

- Ultimate Limit State Design

c. The different software that will be used in this study are the following:

 Microsoft Word 2010

 Microsoft Excel 2010

 AutoCad 2015

 Sketch up 2008

1.3.2 LIMITATIONS

This study is limited to the following considerations:

a. The conventional design method is basically a limit equilibrium analysis. The

conventional method cannot show or analyze the soil-structure interaction between the

gabion retaining wall and backfill nor can it analyze the soil-structure interaction within

the gabion box unit itself that is between the wire mesh and filler material (cobbles).
 Because of these limitations it is not possible to determine stress levels and stress

distributions throughout the retaining wall. Therefore it is also impossible to determine

the stresses in the components of the gabion box unit such as the wire mesh, connecting

wire and filler material.

b. Another limitation of the conventional method is that wall deflections cannot be

determined. Due to the flexible nature of gabion retaining wall, wall deflections can be of

importance in determining the final location or orientation of the wall.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is important to the following:

 Civil Engineers: This study provides information in constructing gabion walls.

 Civil Engineering Students: This study serves as a reference and guide to those who

intend similar or related research

 Design of gabion walls

Presented to:

The faculty of the College of Engineering and Technology

Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University

Zamboanga City

In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Tan, Patrick Ray M.

Tolo, Marc Earlson