Reinforced Earth(R) structures for headwalls to crushing plants in Africa

The use of Mechanically Stabilized Embankments (MSE) for the construction of Head Walls and/or wingwalls to mine crushing plants in Africa is increasing. The advantages of MSE construction is that all material, except the locally available earth backfill, can be easily and efficiently shipped to remote locations in containers or break bulk on trucks and in aeroplanes. The structures are not sensitive to poor foundation conditions and consequently in most cases no special foundation preparation is required. No difficulty has been encountered in finding backfill conforming to standard MSE specifications. This paper describes the use of MSE for this application. It briefly describes various projects in several countries using precast concrete, steel and weldmesh cladding types.