The class difference for slope protection

Some planners rightly ask themselves what an EAD (European Assessment Document) for slope stabilization really says about the stability of safety measures. In this newsletter, we shed light on this complex subject and show how important the longitudinal expansion or stiffness of the mesh is for slope stabilization. All Geobrugg braids are characterized by special stiffness values. We would also like to show the three major advantages of our small-mesh braid TECCO^® G45/2. 

Your Geobrugg Team

The EAD for Flexible Facing Systems for Slope Stabilization and Rock Protection has classes for steel wire mesh. These were determined in standardized tests and describe the longitudinal elongation of a braid.

What does this mean in practice? As the elongation of a mesh increases, more soil material slips into the net, and therefore, more force is applied to the anchor plate. With a class D mesh, the shear forces are greatest at the spike plate - and the probability of a system failure is the highest.

Conversely, stabilization with a class A mesh is safest because the longitudinal elongation is lowest, so less soil material slips, which reduces the risk of erosion and force on the anchor plate. Class A meshes thus favor both the overall stability and greening of the securing measure.

Like all Geobrugg braids, the most fine-meshed member of the TECCO^® family belongs to EAD Class A: The G45/2 braid with the small openings offers strong advantages:

Fine-mesh: With an opening of 45 millimeters, this braid reliably stops particularly fine loose material.

Unobtrusive: The high-strength steel wire, which is only 2 millimeters thick, is hardly noticeable in nature with the matching, smaller P25 spike plate.

Complete: G45/2 is coordinated with the other elements of the TECCO^® system and can be dimensioned with the free RUVOLUM^® dimensioning software.

Tried and tested: Worldwide, this mesh has proven itself as an easy-to-install protective surface in projects from Panama (see below) to Italy.