GABION SOUND BARRIERS

Manufactured in South Africa, offering Class A Galvanised or with Grey PVC coating Hexagonal woven mesh baskets and mattresses, Square Weldmesh baskets are also available.

The sound barrier made out of woven or a square weldmesh as its name suggests has a dampening effect on the noise emitted from vehicle traffic or factory or any other noise. The gabion as made from a steel mesh, filled with rock fragments, either rounded or angular, being very effective at absorbing the noise pollution rather than reflecting it like most other noise barriers, and due to its bulk nature is very useful in this regard.

Gabion noise barriers have been used very successfully worldwide to reduce the effects of noise.
We have named a few different types of noise barriers and compared there benefits against the gabion type.

Comparisons

Vegetated hedge barrier – the hedge barrier looks nicer, however it lets the noise over, through and under the hedge making it of little effect when it comes to reducing high noise volumes.

Solid barrier, or face brick sound barrier – the solid barrier is effecting at blocking, however the noise bounces back and over this type of barrier making it quite ineffective.

Corrugated metal barrier, due to its solid and thin nature the sound can bounce over and actually pass through this type of barrier.

Wooden barrier – the wooden type often has too many joins or gaps between planks, and will let most of the noise through the barrier, making it quite ineffective. Also the thickness of this type is much to narrow.

advantages

Enhanced noise blocking and absorption

The gabion because of its rough nature and bulk volume easily archive the purpose of blocking and absorbing loud noise. For example a truck has a noise level of about 80 db, the one meter thick bulk gabion can reduce noise by 60 db as shown in the diagram below.

Aesthetics

The installation of a gabion clad or freestanding gabion wall using the right rock type can be very visually appealing to the observer.

Density of gabion

The infill of the barrier wall being very dense and heavy in nature will allow for enhanced sound absorption. Most of the sound with a one metre wall will be reduced.

Easily installed and long life

The gabion barrier is made from Class A Galvanised mesh, or together with a PVC coating making it very weather and corrosive resistant. Installation is achieved using local unskilled labor, and no plant is necessary.

Versatile

The gabion barrier can be used as a solid barrier structure alongside roads to protect from vehicle crash damage, can also be used as a cladding to an existing brick building to achieve a much higher level of sound dampening. The gabion barrier can be used as a solid barrier structure alongside roads to protect from vehicle crash damage, can also be used as a cladding to an existing brick building to achieve a much higher level of sound dampening.

Recommendations

The infill for the gabion barrier needs to be tightly packed and the rock needs to be as hard and dense as possible so that no gaps are available for noise to pass through.

The barrier needs to be built wide and high enough to prevent sound going through or over the wall.

If the wall is freestanding, an internal steel framework must be erected with concrete foundations to make the structure more vertically stable against the wind and vehicle damage.

PRODUCT PROVIDED

Glass A Galvanised hexagonal woven or square weldmesh
Hexagonal woven aperture size – 80x100mm with mesh wire of 2.70mm
Square weldmesh – 75x100mm with mesh wire diameter of 3.15mm
Binding wire of 2.20mm provided for both woven and weldmesh

An additional 0.5mm thickness PVC coating is available for the wovenmesh
Infill rock size required – 100-250mm, unweathered, with rock density of minimum 2.60t/m³
Rock infill to be done manually by hand to reduce any spaces or voids between the rock where sound can get through