As the world leader and inventor of Reinforced Earth® MSE wall technology, Terre Armée companies apply the same level of professionalism and engineering care for reinforced steep slopes as for vertical Reinforced Earth® structures.
Built as earth retaining structures, slopes are constructed to an angle to horizontal typically between 45° and 76°. These reinforced soil structures are commonly referred to by engineers as Reinforced Soil Slopes (RSS) or Geosynthetic Reinforced Slopes (GRS). Reinforced Earth’s success in this field has led to solutions that have reached a world record-setting RSS structure being built to a height exceeding 100m.
Our diverse choice of solutions includes a practical selection of facing elements and soil reinforcements that are configured to best meet your specific project requirements.
Choice of slope facing
We provide both steel wire mesh facing and geosynthetic facing solutions. These choices allow to build either ArmaGreen® vegetated “green” slopes, or ArmaStone® slopes having a natural mineral appearance. We also offer a popular alternative to build using the ArmaWeb® expandable geosynthetic cellular soil confinement solution which is highly adaptable for vegetation.
Choice of slope soil reinforcement
Geosynthetic soil reinforcements come in the form of either geostrips (GeoStrap® and EcoStrap®) or ArmaGrid® high-permance geogrids.
GeoStrap® reinforcements are made of high tenacity polyester (PET) tendons contained in a polyethylene sheath. This soil reinforcement is well adapted in the presence of chlorides sulphates and low pH environments.
EcoStrap® reinforcements are made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) tendons contained in a polyethylene sheath. This soil reinforcement is well adapted in the presence of recycled concrete, lime or cement and high pH environments.
ArmaGrid® uniaxial geogrid reinforcement is manufactured in both PET and polypropylene (PP), and both are ideal for building both permanent and temporary reinforced soil slopes.
Metallic soil reinforcements are the best solution in select instances and come in the form of our signature high adherence reinforcing strips.
Applications
Slopes are also frequently built to support and protect linear infrastructure including roadways, railways and airports and are commonly built for waste containment at landfills for both startup and landfill expansions.
In addition, RSS and GRS slopes are needed to control natural gravitational risks such as rockfall, landslides, avalanches and hydraulic erosion and coastal and river flood protection.
Steep slopes are also constructed to address anthropogenic risks such as explosions, assault, noise and traffic protection.
RSS and GRS are built in the form of:
- Earth retaining structures
- Platform support
- Slope rehabilitation
- Protective bunds and barriers
- Dikes and levees
Benefits of Reinforced Earth Reinforced Soil Slopes
- Sustainability through minimal, to no concrete consumption.
- Biodiversity through building green slopes or mineral slopes.
- Our solutions provide developers with of a wide range of acceptable fill materials, being adequate site-won (marginal) fills, recycled materials or quarried technical backfills.
Related solutions
ArmaStone®
TerraNail™
TerraNail™
Terre Armée and subsidiary companies offer TerraNail™, for installing passive soil and rock anchoring and stabilization systems. This solution is widely specified by geotechincal engineers for builders and earthworkers to install adequate measures to ensure stability and take control of embankment soil and rock displacement, foundation instability, mass erosion, and retention facing displacements.