- Gabion
Gabions (from Italian "gabbione" meaning "big cage"; from Italian "gabbia" and
Latin "cavea" meaning "cage") arecage s,cylinder s, orbox es filled withsoil orsand that are used incivil engineering ,road-building , andmilitary application. Forerosion control cagedriprap are used. Fordam s or foundationconstruction , cylindricalmetal structures are used. In a military context, earth or sand-filled gabions are used to protectartillery crews.Civil engineering
The most common civil engineering use is to stabilize
shore againsterosion . Other uses include retaining walls, temporaryfloodwall s, to filtersilt from runoff, and for small or temporary/permanent dams. They may be used to direct the force of a flow offlood water around a vulnerable structure. Gabions are also used asfish barrier s on smallstream s.Gabion baskets have some advantages over loose riprap because of their modularity and ability to be stacked in various shapes. They also have advantages over more rigid structures because they can conform to
ground movement , dissipateenergy from flowing water and drain freely. Their strength and effectiveness may increase with time in some cases, as silt andvegetation fill the interstitial voids and reinforce the structure. They are sometimes used to keepstone s which may fall from a cutting orcliff from endangeringtraffic on athoroughfare .Military use
In era, gabions round cages open tops bottom, made
wickerwork and filled earth use as militaryfortification s. These early military gabions were used to protect fieldartillery gunners. The wickerwork cylinders were light and could be carried relatively conveniently in theammunition train, particularly if they were made in severaldiameter s to fit one in another. At the site of use in the field, they could be stood on end, staked in position, and filled with soil to form an effective wall around thegun .ee also
*
Cellular confinement , a highly adaptable, attractive, modern form of gabion cages.
*Hesco bastion , a modernized version of the same concept.References
* Freeman, Gary E.; Fischenich, Craig J.(May 2000), " [http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/elpubs/pdf/sr22.pdf Gabions for Streambank Erosion Control] ", Environmental Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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