Structural Pattern Effects on Engineering Behavior of Hexagonal Wire Mesh Gabion Panels

Abstract

Three half-turn and four half-turn hexagonal wire mesh panels were built for tensile and punch tests with and without one center-cut wire mesh panel. The study results indicated that the ultimate tensile strength or punch resistance for the three half-turn and four half-turn hexagonal wire mesh panels without any cut was similar. However, the four half-turn hexagonal wire panels showed better tensile and punch resistance after one wire broke at the panel center. This finding suggests that the presence of broken wires within the four half-turn hexagonal wire mesh panels have no significant influence on the panels’ tensile strength and punch resistance. Four half-turn hexagonal wire mesh is a better structural pattern than three half-turn hexagonal wire mesh for slope stability and river bank protection.