Tech Note 74 Gabion Aggregates LR
Tech Note 74 Gabion Aggregates LR
Tech Note 74 Gabion Aggregates LR
Note 74
Australian Standards are prepared by committees of This technical note provides background knowledge of the
industry representatives who contribute their expert requirements for aggregates for use in gabion baskets and wire
knowledge to ensure the information contained in a mattresses.
Standard reflects the best technical, scientific and
Aggregate produced from rock, gravel, metallurgical slag
system knowledge available.
or synthetic materials may be used provided the particular
In the case of AS 2758, Aggregates and rock for engineering criteria set out for the aggregate are met. AS 2758.4 sets out
purposes, a set of Standards has been developed to ensure the requirements for the quality of a material source and the
uniform material compliance is identified and specified, thus properties of the rock.
minimising the risk of a failure in a project. AS 2758 comprises
This Standard sets out best practice criteria as known at
seven individual standards, viz:
the time of publishing and should not be regarded as a
stand-alone material works specification. Most Australian
AS 2758.0 Part 0 Definitions and classification
industry procedures will include their own specification for
AS 2758.1 Part 1 Concrete aggregates aggregates supply into gabion and mattress works. These
AS 2758.2 Part 2 Aggregate for sprayed bituminous specifications will, in most instances, specify material attributes
surfacing that are either the same as or similar to those designated in
AS 2758.4.
AS 2758.4 Part 4 A
ggregate for gabion baskets
and wire mattresses
AS 2758.5 Part 5 Coarse asphalt aggregates
AS 2758.6 Part 6 Guidelines for the specification
of armourstone
AS 2758.7 Part 7 Railway ballast
1 Aggregate for Gabion Baskets & Wire Mattresses The requirements of AS 2758.4 - 2009
Gabion basket and
2.0
wire mattress applications
2 Aggregate for Gabion Baskets & Wire Mattresses The requirements of AS 2758.4 - 2009
Figure 5A: Example of weave structure Figure 6 Filled basket
Figure 5B: The lacing process Figure 7: Diagram showing rock- on-rock contact and transfer
of load at these points
Gabion baskets and wire mattresses are manufactured from When sampling aggregate for use in baskets and mattresses,
steel wire that is heavily galvanized or plastic coated to minimize care is necessary to ensure that the samples represent the whole
the risk of rusting and degradation of the wire. Protection of mass of the material to be supplied.
these (or other) coatings is important since the service life of the
Sampling is carried out in accordance with AS 1141.3.2 rather
basket or mattress depends on the durability of the wire and
than the more commonly used AS 1141.3.1. This particular
thus its ability to hold the rock together. The durability of the
sampling method takes into account that the material being
rock used will also determine the life of these structures.
sampled is typically larger than 63mm nominal size. Samples are
The galvanizing process used is generally a proprietary process to be obtained by a competent person and in accordance with
designed by the manufacturer or supplier. Some authorities Section 6 of the procedure specified AS 1141.3.2.
nominate specific requirements for galvanizing which will have a
As basket and mattress structures rely on aggregate interlock to
direct affect on the life of the baskets in-service.
distribute service loads, the quality of the rock used and the way in
Baskets and mattresses obtain their strength from the way in which the rocks interact is very important (Figure 6). Point-to-point
which the wire is woven and twisted (Figure 5A & 5B). contact of rock surfaces must be maintained and anything that
For baskets, additional strength is provided by the inclusion affects this important feature may lead to problems in the structure
of transverse diaphragms. The weave structure is such that (Figure 7). AS 2758.4 requires rock used in these structures to have
unravelling is prevented should a wire break and the aggregate a consistent size and shape to promote interlocking and to have
placed into the basket or mattress will be retained. appropriate durability. Should the selected rock have a tendency
to break down due to the presence of weak particles or have micro
Basket and mattress structures are designed to withstand
internal cracking, this can initiate a breakdown of particles and a
differential settlement and to be porous to prevent the build up
weakening of the structure.
of hydrostatic pressure.
3 Aggregate for Gabion Baskets & Wire Mattresses The requirements of AS 2758.4 - 2009
Aggregate properties and the test
4.0
methods specified in AS 2758.4
4.1 General
AS 2758.4 outlines the test requirements for aggregates for use
in gabion baskets and wire mattresses. Each aggregate property
is covered in a separate section of the Standard as follows:
4 Aggregate for Gabion Baskets & Wire Mattresses The requirements of AS 2758.4 - 2009
Wet Strength and Wet/Dry Strength Variation (Clause 8.3) Los Angeles Value and Unsound and Marginal Stone
This test is performed in accordance with AS 1141.22 and Content (Clause 8.4)
is a basic aggregate crushing test. It is performed by taking
Los Angeles Value (LA)
a measured quantity of sized aggregate and subjecting the
The Los Angeles (LA) test is performed in accordance with
sample to a force within a confined space (Figure 9). The test is
AS 1141.23 and is a dry abrasion test. It is performed in a rotating
performed on aggregate in both the wet and dry condition. The
steel drum loaded with steel balls and sample aggregate
aim is to obtain, by crushing, 10% of produced fines in order
(Figure 10). A bar across the drum interrupts the flow pattern of the
to ascertain the strength of the aggregate in both wet and dry
steel balls, ensuring that they perform a crushing/impact process
conditions, and to determine the percentage variation between
on the aggregate sample and do not just roll around the drum
the aggregates strength in the two conditions.
during rotation. The drum is rotated for 500 revolutions and through
The strength of the aggregate is defined as the crushing force this action fine aggregate particles are generated from the sample.
which, when applied to a known mass of the aggregate, will The sample is then sieved over a 1.7mm test sieve and the loss is
produce fines amounting to 10% of the mass of the dry test expressed as the percentage LA abrasion loss. A high value may
portion. The wet test is performed on a sample of the same size indicate a weak material which could degrade in service.
as that for the dry test but it is soaked for 24 hours then towel
Table 2 in AS 2758.4 gives a range of acceptable LA test results
dried to Saturated Surface Dry Condition (SSD), and crushed.
based on rock type and class of aggregate.
This allows an understanding of the change in strength between
the dry and wet states, thus identifying any sensitivity to water.
This test is used widely, in New South Wales and Queensland
Revolution Counter
particularly, as a measure of aggregate durability.
Access Cover
For gabion and wire mattress aggregate, AS 2758.4 requires
the wet strength to be not less than 100 kN and the wet/dry
variation to not exceed 35%.
Cylinder
Tray to
catch sample
after test
Charge of 11 No.
47mm steel balls
Due to the size of the rock used in gabion baskets and wire
mattress construction, the test is generally performed on a
sample sized to -19.0 +13.2mm or to -19.0 +9.5mm. Testing
should be carried out on material from a quarry source that
represents that being crushed and supplied to a particular
project. Results obtained from normal quarry production can be
acceptable for the source of supply should supply be coming
from that area of the quarry.
5 Aggregate for Gabion Baskets & Wire Mattresses The requirements of AS 2758.4 - 2009
Unsound and Marginal Stone Content 4.0 Conclusion
This test is performed in accordance with AS 1141.30.1. It
is necessary that the unsound and marginal stone has been
Aggregates that satisfy the requirements of AS 2758.4 are
defined and is visibly distinguishable from sound rock within the
likely to be suitable for use in either Gabion basket or wire
same deposit. Unsound and marginal stone is likely to have poor
mattress structures provided they are consistently supplied
durability in-service and is therefore unsuitable for use in Gabion
and regular sampling and testing is undertaken to ensure those
and mattress applications. The difference between sound and
properties remain compliant with this Standard, relevant works
unsound aggregate is normally determined visually and may be
specifications or industry requirements.
identified according to colour or texture. AS 1141.30.2 gives
the procedure for preparation of the reference specimens used
for this comparison. It is critical that the reference samples are
prepared by an experienced person so that they accurately
represent the rock source and location from which they are
obtained.
This test ensures that only minimal soft and weak material is
used in Gabions basket and wire mattress construction. This
is important since the breakdown of aggregate can affect the
integrity of this particular type of structure.
TN74. AUG14
6 Aggregate for Gabion Baskets & Wire Mattresses The requirements of AS 2758.4 - 2009