GGU-GABION: System description (Ex. 2)

A noise abatement wall with an overall height of 4 metres on level ground will be analysed. Four gabion elements with a uniform height and width of 1.0 m x 1.0 m are used. The noise abatement wall is built on a 1.4 m wide footing, embedded 0.2 m in medium dense sand. The design groundwater table is at ground level. A wind load of 1.0 kN/m² is adopted.

The following material properties are present:

• Gabions
  unit weight γ = 16 kN/m³
  friction coefficient in the joints μ = 0.75
  design concrete compressive strength f_m,d (EC 2) of the elements = 0.20 MN/m²

• Sand
  friction angle φ = 32.5°
  cohesion c = 0 kN/m²
  wet unit weight γ = 19 kN/m³
  buoyant unit weight γ' = 10 kN/m³
  no passive earth pressure used

Due to the wind loads the active wall friction angle must be set to zero to analyse noise abatement walls. Otherwise, the wind load would generate a favourably acting active earth pressure at the rear face of the wall.