Ocean Hexagonal Woven Double Twisted Gabion Boxes at a Mining Project in Odisha

Location: Odisha, India
Quantity Supplied: 7,500 Nos

At a mining project in Odisha, Ocean Non Wovens supplied and installed 7,500 Ocean Hexagonal Woven Double Twisted Gabion Boxes. The boxes went into three jobs on site: stabilising steep slopes, retaining overburden dumps and channelling stormwater.

Why gabions suit mine sites

Mining strips vegetation, cuts slopes and builds large dumps of loose overburden, all of which erode quickly in heavy rain. Gabion boxes are wire mesh baskets filled on site with stone. They are used on mines for:

• Erosion control: stabilising slopes and embankments exposed by excavation.
• Retaining walls: holding back loose soil and debris to reduce slides and collapses.
• Water diversion: lining and directing drainage channels so runoff is carried away safely.
• Waste containment: forming bunds around mine waste.

A gabion wall is permeable, so water drains through it rather than building up pressure behind it. It is also flexible: the mesh can deform with settlement of the foundation without the wall cracking the way a rigid concrete wall would. Both properties suit loose, wet mine ground.

Ocean Hexagonal Woven Double Twisted Gabion Boxes

• Double-twisted hexagonal mesh: each pair of wires is twisted together at every joint. If one wire is cut or broken, the twist stops the mesh from unravelling, and the hexagonal shape lets the box follow uneven ground.
• Galvanised steel wire: zinc coating protects the wire against corrosion.
• Installation: boxes arrive flat-packed, are opened out and laced on site, then filled with stone, which makes installation quick.
• Vegetation: soil and seeds settle into the stone voids over time, so plants can establish on the structure.

In India, double-twisted hexagonal mesh gabions are specified under IS 16014:2012, which covers galvanised and PVC-coated galvanised wire. On mine sites with acidic drainage, PVC-coated wire is worth considering because acid runoff attacks zinc faster than ordinary rainwater does.

How the boxes were used in Odisha

The site had steep slopes, high monsoon rainfall and loose soil prone to erosion. The 7,500 boxes were split across three uses:

• Slope stabilisation: over 3,000 gabion boxes were placed along the slopes to hold them and prevent slides.
• Overburden retention: about 2,500 boxes built retaining walls around overburden dumps to contain loose debris.
• Water channelisation: the remaining boxes lined drainage paths to protect site infrastructure from flooding in heavy rain.

Results

After installation, the site saw a marked reduction in soil displacement on the treated slopes, and the gabions went up faster than a conventional retaining wall would have. Native vegetation began regrowing on the structures within six months.

Long-term performance

• Low maintenance: once filled and closed, gabion structures need little upkeep beyond inspecting the mesh and topping up settled stone.
• Weather: the flexible, free-draining structure copes with heavy rain and dry spells alike.
• Reuse: at the end of their life, the stone and steel can be recovered and reused.

Performance depends on the fill as well as the mesh. The stone should be hard, durable and larger than the mesh opening, and boxes should be filled in layers with internal bracing wires so the faces stay flat.

About Ocean Non Wovens

Ocean Non Wovens supplies gabion boxes and other geosynthetics for mining, road and environmental restoration projects. For slope, retaining wall or channel work, contact the team or see more case studies.