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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
OCTOBER
2015
ROADS AND BRIDGES
The system was recently used on
a major SANRAL road upgrade
contract in Ballito, one of the first
and largest local applications of the
system to date. Project engineers, SMEC South
Africa, were involved in the detailed design
of the system and realised a number of cost
benefits on the project by using the Tensar
TW1 System.
The scope of works entailed the widening
of a two-lane, single carriageway to a three-
lane, dual carriageway in Ballito, about 40 km
north east of Durban. Due to the site’s undu-
lating topography, earth retaining structures
had to be built to bring the extra lanes to level.
The lane widening had to be constructed
within the road reserve to eliminate encroach-
ment into existing developments. To reach
this objective, two near-vertical, Mechanically
Stabilised Earth (MSE) walls of 11 m and 5 m,
covering a total length of over 400 m, and
2 000 m
2
, were proposed.
MSE walls, broadly, consist of fill material
with horizontal layers of reinforcing elements
which may take the form of sheets, grids, strips
or meshes. The reinforcing elements, which are
either metallic or polymeric, are able to sustain
tensile loads and the effects of deformation or
soil strains developed in the fill, part of which
is transferred to the clad face through some
form of positive connection.
Following a competitive tender process,
the tender for construction of the project was
won by Afriscan Construction, which included
the use of the Tensar TW1 system. The project
consulting engineers were satisfied that the
system would meet the technical require-
ments and were subsequently closely involved
in the detailed design of the system.
The intricate design needed to ensure
that the system complied with internal
and external stability and project technical
requirements. A benefit of the system was
that lower quality fill, which was more readily
available and less expensive, could be utilised
as the grids provide greater coverage and soil
adherence than other systems on the market
and the product is also not prone to degrada-
tion or chemical attack by natural soils.
A further benefit to the system was that
adjacent landowners were satisfied that the
appearance of the split-face blocks would
provide a high aesthetic appearance which
would complement the local architecture.
Tensar TW1 System
The system, developed by Tensar Interna-
tional of the UK, comprises the specially
designed TW1 block, combined with high
density polyethelene (HDPE) grid mats –
known as Tensar uniaxial geogrids – that
are attached by a special connector into the
blocks and extend horizontally to secure and
reinforce the fill, thereby turning the whole
structure into a monolithic mass.
The positive connection to the cladding
or split-block face is an important attribute
of the system and allows it to be used on
near-vertical walls exceeding 7 m; which is
the present maximum height attainable with
other retaining systems available locally.
Internationally, maximum tiered wall
heights of 60 m have been achieved with
the TW1 system, with a maximum single tier
height of 22 m in Fujairah, UAE.
Geotechnical investigation and
design
As this was one of the first of these walls in
the country, the design of the wall was a close
collaborative effort between Kaytech, Tensar
and SMEC South Africa. SMEC undertook
the final design checks to ensure overall
stability of the system and compliance with
project specifications and local codes. These
included integration of the system with the
new roadway and New Jersey barriers along
the top of the wall, as well as cognisance of
the overall geotechnical conditions.
Design optimisation
A key consideration in the design was to
ALTERNATIVE
to
TRADITIONAL
retaining wall options
Introduced into the South African market by Kaytech,
the Tensar TW1 System was developed as an alternative
to traditional retaining wall options and has been used
extensively in Europe and elsewhere internationally.
optimise the use of lower quality fill material,
whilst simultaneously minimising the amount
of lateral support required in cutting back
and benching into the existing roadway, i.e.
the back excavation slope. Limited space
was available for the 11 m high wall, which
restricted the length of the strips to 7 m. At the
same time it would be beneficial to the project
if Berea sands could be utilised. However, by
using the lower quality fill, strip lengths would
need to be increased, which implied either
increased cut or the use of a near vertical back
excavation slope requiring the use of shotcrete
and ground anchors or nails.
After a number of iterations, the final
design for the 11 m high wall comprised the
use of 7 m long strips, a granular (COLTO
G6) backfill for most of the height and 1 m
thick granular soil-raft foundation. No lateral
support was thus required and conventional
benching into the existing fill was utilised. For
the upper 3 m of the 11 m wall and for the 5 m
high wall, Berea sand was used throughout.
Construction
Some of the further benefits of the Tensar
TW1 System are that it is labour-intensive
and eliminates the need for cranes and other
heavy lifting equipment. Additionally, the
TW1 block is manufactured locally by
Remacon, a Tensar licensee, for that s
pecific block manufacture.
In utilising the new system a number of
challenges were experienced during construc-
tion. These included: the setting of the base
block, which is key to achieving the final face
inclination of 86°; compaction criteria;
stormwater control; and the use of labour
inexperienced in building these walls.
However, these problems were quickly
resolved through close collaboration between
the contractor, consultant and supplier.
The Kaytech and Tensar teams were able to
provide technical assistance to the contractor
and consultant’s supervising team with
regards to installation, testing standards and
quality control and assurance.
Conclusion
The project has showcased the level of
knowledge and experience required to design
and construct a Tensar TW1 Mechanically
Stabilised Earth Wall. This has been a major
achievement for Kaytech, considering this is
the first wall of this size to be constructed in
South Africa. The system provides a number of
benefits over other block and other Mechan-
ically Stabilised Earth systems, including:
the effective connection between block and
geogrid; a near-vertical face inclination; locally
manufactured blocks; aesthetic appeal; labour
intensive construction; and eliminating the
use of heavy lifting equipment.
>
Tensar Polyethylene RE560 uniaxial geogrid.
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