Flood Protection With Geosynthetic
Introduction
Changes in weather patterns are one of the principal effects of climate change. We are now seeing more extreme weather conditions. This has a huge impact on vulnerable communities living in low-lying areas, who suffer changes on a massive scale when exposed to environmental risks such as flooding.
In certain situations, it is crucial to control the flow of water. Sea defence dikes, emergency flood alleviation dikes, canal dikes, and various types of streams and channels are essential for protecting land and enabling irrigation or navigation. Longitudinal dikes are frequently used to contain river water during floods.
What is Geosynthetics?
Geosynthetics are synthetic materials engineered to enhance the performance and longevity of civil engineering projects. These materials, typically made from polymers such as polypropylene, polyester, or polyethylene, exhibit remarkable properties such as high tensile strength, flexibility, and chemical resistance. Geosynthetics are categorized into various types, including geotextiles, geomembranes, geogrids, geocells, and Geo-composites, each tailored to address specific engineering challenges.
With geosynthetic building materials and flood protection systems, you can improve technical flood protection in vulnerable areas in the long term. Geotextile solutions can also contribute to fast and efficient reconstruction after a flood event.
Technical flood protection with geotextiles
Erosion-protected and securely sealed channels, spillways, and stormwater retention basins can also be realized quickly and efficiently with geosynthetics. In this way, structures with geosynthetics offer the best possible protection even during heavy rainfall events.
For an individual system configuration, we have concrete mats, erosion protection and reinforcement solutions, geotextile container solutions, drainage hoses, geosynthetic clay liners and other geotextile product solutions in our portfolio. Protect your region in the best possible way with innovative products and top engineering performance, even in the event of a disaster.
APPLICATION EXAMPLES OF GEOSYNTHETIC FLOOD PROTECTION ACTIONS
Riverbank and Channel Protection
Bank erosion in rivers or channels is a natural process, but this process could be accelerated due to the impact of human activities. Hydraulic engineers need to explore fluvial geomorphology, carry out the function of riverine structures and maintain the balance of nature. ACE Geosynthetics can offer cost effective, high working efficiency and environmentally friendly geosynthetic products into various riverine works, such as revetments to strengthen the bank or flow control structures to reduce the bank scour or induce sedimentation.
Levees or Dikes are applied to protect the safety of people and surroundings against flooding. Stacked ACETube® geotextile tubes or wrapped ACEGrid® geogrid reinforced soil structures enhance the core of natural or man-made river embankments. ACETex® geotextiles further stabilize and reinforce soft soil conditions often encountered in embankment foundations. The highly permeable ACE geosynthetic materials simultaneously reduce the pore water pressure and wear on artificial river embankments enhancing the longevity of these flood mitigating structures.
River embankment defences are regularly upheld by artificial revetments. Several cost-effective ACE geosynthetic options exist that frame riverbanks, curtailing erosion and protecting riversides and adjacent structures from destructive flow velocities apparent in rivers during storms and floods. ACE revetment systems incorporate ACETex® geotextiles or ACETube® geotextile tube structures to stabilize and reinforce embankments and are further fortified with ACEFormer™ geotextile mattresses or ACEMat™ erosion control mats armour.
Alteration of turbulent currents and modification of riverside habitats are achieved by installing ACETube® geotextile tubes perpendicular to riverbanks that form groynes. These flexible groyne structures, withstanding the uneven landform, alter flow direction and decrease flow velocities which restrains lateral erosion. The trapped sediment extends and maintains the river banks.
The foundations of hydraulic structures are constantly unearthed or washed away by forceful river currents. ACE’s robust scour protection system combines ACETube® geotextile tubes and ACEFormer™ geotextile mattresses to effectively stabilize pier alignments and diminish scour around single or multiple pile foundations.
Channel or river without lining protection, it is easy to occur erosion that changes the flow direction or causes the water to overflow and flood. Laying the product of erosion control mat- ACEMat R decreased the water flow shear stress. It not only effectively prevents water erodes, but also dissipates the scouring attack. Provide the environment with a stable and sufficient water cross-section of the channel/river.
OTHER FLOOD CONTROL APPLICATIONS GEOSYNTHETICS
- Stormwater storage
Efficient water retention during local heavy rainfall events.
- Sustainable retention effect
During short-term heavy rainfall, stormwater retention basins are flooded to relieve the stormwater sewer system. The accumulated water volumes can then be discharged from the temporary storage into the receiving watercourse in a controlled and slowed manner. Since the surface water can be contaminated with pollutants, the basin must be sealed to protect the groundwater. Sealing is also required if local infiltration is not possible or desirable. Rainwater retention basins can sustainably reduce the devastating effects of local heavy rainfall events.
- Storage space clearance
Sludge dewatering hoses can be used to maintain the reservoir volume of the stormwater retention basin. They allow sludge to be dewatered economically and quickly. The large-format hoses offer a high process capacity with simultaneous high dewatering performance in a comparatively small space. This enables rapid construction progress or quick restoration of the required reservoir volume.
Advantages of construction elements made of geotextiles for stormwater storages;
- Sealing
- Dewatering tubes
- Reconstruction after a flood.
Geosynthetics and geo-systems for fast and safe reconstruction
With our geosynthetic construction materials, you can set up construction roads, secure embankments, erect supporting structures and bridge abutments quickly and safely over the long term. Highly loadable working platforms on low-bearing soils as well as temporary and permanent dumps for contaminated sludge, rubble, waste, etc. can also be realised without complications. Products such as concrete mats, erosion control and reinforcement solutions, contaminant surface filters, geosynthetic clay linersand much more are available for safe reconstruction after flood situations.
- Geogrid-reinforced earth structures.
Fast and resource-efficient reconstruction.
The construction of steep slopes and retaining structures is a typical and often unexpectedly challenging task in earthworks and foundation engineering. With our geogrid-reinforced systems, we offer you innovative and economical solutions for engineering structures. Due to flexible design options, high stability and fast construction, these can provide many advantages compared to conventional construction methods. Settlement-resistant systems, even with over steepened slopes, are possible with ACE in a simple, efficient, and ecologically sustainable way.
Especially in the reconstruction of infrastructure in flood-damaged regions, plastic-reinforced earth structures impress with their efficiency, resource-saving sustainability and speed of construction progress. Plastic-reinforced earth structures are used in reconstruction in the form of bridge abutments and dam constructions for e.g. railway lines, reconstruction of eroded embankments and much more.
- Construction of access roads.
Access roads for the development of disaster areas.
Wherever insufficiently stable soils have to be driven over permanently or temporarily, measures for soil stabilisation are necessary. Alternating high loads on soils of varying softness place different demands on base layers. Geosynthetics have proven their worth in base course stabilisation because, in addition to maximum resistance to mechanical stress, they offer decisive advantages, especially in economic and ecological terms. Geosynthetics are particularly well suited for the development of disaster areas or destroyed road infrastructure. Due to reduced mass transports and reduced base course thickness, the reconstruction of the road network is accelerated in the long term.
- Temporary and permanent landfills.
Prompt creation of required landfill volume for flood debris and sludge
Extraordinary amounts of waste and contaminated sludge accumulate in the course of floods or heavy rainfall events. The temporary or long-term transfer of these “wastes” requires landfill sealing systems that are quick to erect and permanent, which can be easily constructed with our solutions. In order to securely seal and stabilise the landfill body permanently, we offer you the right systems for every construction phase:
Systems for bottom lining system
- Reliable protection of soil and groundwater
- Protection against contaminated leachate
- Stable base for the landfill body
Systems for intermediate sealing
- Ascending extension of landfill bodies
- Protection against liquid ingress into the old landfill body
- Secure base for additional waste volumes
Systems for cover lining
- Barrier against water ingress and gas emissions
- Sealing in accordance with relevant standards and regulations.
- Stable basis for surface renaturation
