Slope Protection | Groningen, Netherlands
1,200m² of CCT1® Installed for Slope Protection
Project Overview
In June 2023, Concrete Canvas® GCCM* (CC) was used to was provide protection to Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) blocks and reinforced earth constructions as part of new construction works in Groningen, Netherlands. Part of the N370 road, the project was designed to construct a new relief ring road south of the city.
At various locations in the project, carriageways, exit and entry slip roads were constructed using lightweight EPS blocks. Clients Rijkswaterstaat sought to cover the EPS with green screens to provide a more aesthetically pleasing finish to construction. However, the screens wouldn’t have provided adequate protection so an alternative solution was sought. Several options including geotextile and prefabricated concrete walls were discussed. However, due to the scale, location and material costs both options were quickly dismissed.
Solution
Joosten Concepts (Sales Partner of Concrete Canvas Ltd) suggested using the Concrete Canvas® GCCM for the project as it provided both the flexibility of a geotextile and strength of conventional concrete whilst also providing protection against UV degradation and vandalism. The self-extinguishing nature of CC helps to reduce fire damage.
Design & Installation
Due to the scale of the project, designers Kwast Consult specified the use of CCT1® 3-Wide Rolls to increase the speed of installation but also reduce the number of on site joints required. Once the 3-Wide Rolls were delivered to site, the CCT1® material was deployed vertically using a telehandler with a spreader beam attachment, with each layer overlapped by 100mm. To prevent the material moving during jointing, the CCT1® 3-Wide rolls were partially secured at the crest using a clamping bar to facilitate thermal bonding of the overlap joints using a Leister Twinny. Once the jointing was complete, the entire crest edge was clamped to prevent wind and water ingress and the material cut to form a neat edge detail.
To protect the CC from wind load and suction effects from passing traffic, small holes were cut into the CC and EPS anchors installed to anchor the material to the slope face. Once the CC was secured, a tractor towing a water tank sprayer was used to hydrate the material. An anchor trench at the toe of the slope was later back filled with excavated substrate.
Summary
Clients Rijkswaterstaat were extremely pleased with the finished project and were impressed with the speed and ease in which it could be installed, with 2 contractors from Combination Herepoort and a telehandler operator installing 1,200m² of CCT1® 3-Wide Rolls in 4 days.
