Construction World April 2016

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Geobrugg’s TECCO system offers safety, cost effectiveness and sustainability. The TECCO system can be applied to nearly any slope, regardless of whether it is solid rock, soil or anything in-between. Two new spike plate sizes further expand the range of application and allow optimisation of anchor spacing. TECCO System The key to the success of the TECCO system lies in the large-scale field experiments performed by the Geobrugg Group in the last three years in collaboration with the University of Bern. The full-scale testing provided detailed, scientific proof of the key to the success of TECCO mesh – the high tensile wire. Tests showed that success or failure of the stabilisa- tion system is completely dependent upon the ability of the mesh to transfer forces from the slope to the nails. The only way to achieve this > In a world where time is money, it is not worth the effort to re-invent the wheel. But sometimes the wheel needs to be changed. Historic solutions for slope stabilisation can be improved with innovation. Old challenges – NEW SOLUTIONS

MAIN: Franschhoek Pass midway through the project. INSET: High-tensile steel wire mesh with newly developed large spike plate.

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efficiently and safely is to use mesh with a high tensile wire that enables this critical load transfer from the mesh to the spike plates. TECCO high tensile steel mesh is available in 2 mm, 3 mm and 4 mm wire size. The tensile strength of the steel wire is at least 1 770 N/mm 2 for all three wire diameters. With the special Geobrugg Supercoating or Ultracoating of the wire, TECCO provides up to three times longer life- time than conventional zinc wire. Geobrugg has also recently launched its TECCO stainless products. This mesh, made of stainless steel, offers even a wider range of possibilities for slope stabilisation. The mesh is ideal for use in all situations where aggressive environmental conditions prevail. TECCO stainless was designed for use in extremely salty and moist conditions. In many projects, geotechnical engineers are forced with challenges and always want a solution that offers less time on site, with fewer materials and the least impact on the environment. Solutions need to

Experimental setup for testing flexible facing systems in large scale.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD APRIL 2016