DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS IN CYPRUS SOLVED THE PROBLEM USING CONCRETE CANVAS TM

CC8TM 2 WIDE rolls were used to provide protection to a slope in order to control erosion and protect the secondary road of Statos -Chrysorogiatissa from possible rock and soil landslides

In July 2018, Concrete Canvas® GCCM * (CC) was selected to provide slope protection on the secondary road of Stato-Chrysorogiatissa. On the existing slope a large part of the collapse was observed resulting in the disruption of road traffic, as well as the cracking of the existing asphalt road.

The Department of Public Works at the District Office of Paphos required a solution to reduce water infiltration into the slope which could create further instability. The main cause of the slope’s failure was the large amount of rainwater flowing through the existing drainage pipe. Initially, conventional solutions such as the use of shotcrete or reinforced concrete, which are common choices for similar projects in Cyprus, were examined.

However, in addition to the risk of the rebound during the use of shotcrete, the basic scenario that should be avoided was the gradual detachment of concrete from the subsoil due to the long-term but steady inflow of water through its structure. The high-water impermeability and the fast and easy installation offered by CC have made it the most suitable solution to meet the requirements of this project.

The contractors began by removing any vegetation and sharp or protruding debris from the slope face for the purpose of soil remediation. Initially, an excavator was used, however, due to the steep gradient of slope and loose ground, work continued with the use of simple tools by the construction gang.

CC8TM wide rolls measuring 2.2m wide by 28m long were delivered to site using a crane. Using a spreader beam each length was then lifted to the top and unrolled along the slope, with the workgroup always ensuring a shingled overlap of 100mm between adjacent layers of material. The laying process started from the bottom of the slope for staff safety reasons, and then the last CC layer was installed on the top surface near to the outlet of the drainage pipe.

The material was fixed to the ground by driven anchors of 80 cm length and 16 mm thickness at intervals of 2 m along the length of the slope. It was then followed by the welding of the anchors with 20cm x 20cm flanges to ensure their consistency with the CC. While on the side of the layered surface and along the slope starter steel bars were placed in order to construct a concrete wall across the slope.

The overlaps were sealed with an adhesive sealant and jointed with screws placed at 200mm centers. Finally, masonry bolts and steel plate were used to fix CC to concrete walls.

“In total 190 m2 of CC8TM was installed in 2 days by a team of 7 people, consisting of 5 workers, 2 supervisors of Perendes Technologies and 1 supervisor of the Department of Public Works”

This project was designed in BIM

The choice of CC has enabled time and cost saving throughout the project. the Department of Public Works at the District Office of Paphos was impressed by the fast and easy installation of Concrete Canvas. While the fact that, compared to conventional concrete such as shotcrete, CC offers safe installation and does not require the interruption of road traffic, has led to the examination of the use of Concrete Canvas in many similar upcoming projects.