1. business and industrial
2. metals

500-3000k J
GBE rockfall protection barriers:
The most economic solution to your
safety problems.
Tested under the most
rigorous conditions in
vertical drop according to
European ETAG 027 guidelines and under the scrutiny of the Swiss Federal
Institute for Forest, Snow
and Landscape Research
(WSL); with ETA approval
and CE marking.
The Geobrugg GBE rockfall
protection barriers:
- protection against impact
energies up to 3000 kJ
- over 50 % residual useful
height in the impact section
- no secondary mesh required
for GBE 500A and GBE 1000A
- rapid installation through
modular design, using lightweight components
- simple anchorage thanks to
lower force transmission
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The GBE system: Functionally and
logically planned as a whole and
exceptionally installation-friendly.
Lightweight components;
The U-brake (Figure 3)
and a mesh capable of being
Only four U-brakes are used per section. They are
pre-assembled to the posts. (Figure 1)
mounted laterally at the ends of the support ropes,
Our engineers left nothing to chance in the development
greatly simplifying both the installation and any possible
of the series GBE barriers – neither functionally nor
maintenance.
mechanically: With very simple installation in mind, we
are introducing a new standard. Accordingly, the mutu-
The U-brake is composed of a flat steel bar, bent around
ally adapted components can be installed by hand, with
a mandrel. In the case of an impact, the flat steel bar is
a crane or boom, or on difficult access sites by helicopter.
drawn around the mandrel, absorbing energy and also
releasing rope. This permits the attainment of a very
The TECCO® mesh (Figure 2)
uniform, non-increasing force-path characteristic, per-
The TECCO mesh which comprises the basic fabric of the
mitting lightweight system component construction and
GBE-500A and GBE-1000A barriers is made from robust,
keeping anchor forces low.
®
The ground plate can be used on all kinds of rock or soil.
First an anchor is drilled in the unconsolidated rock (type
high tensile 4 mm diameter steel wire, characterized by a
high impact strength and a nominal tensile strength of
The running wheel (Figure 4)
GEWI or similar or self-drilling anchor) and then the
1770 N/mm2 compared to conventional meshes with
The support ropes are directed to the post heads and
ground plate is mounted. The smaller anchor at the rear
®
strength of only 500 N/mm . Thanks to the small TECCO
ground plates through so-called running wheels, whose
can then be positioned; stabilizing the plate and pre-
opening size of 80 mm, no secondary mesh is necessary:
function is similar to rope pulleys. The running wheels
venting it from twisting.
a considerable benefit for a simplified installation.
always align in the direction of the rope, giving it an
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increased supporting surface. Because they are rotating
Two short anchors can be placed in solid rock and two
The SPIDER spiral rope net
with the rope, the wheels allow the support rope to slide
anchors can be embedded accordingly in concrete found-
The SPIDER® spiral rope net which comprises the basic
practically friction-free through the suspension in case of
ations.
fabric of the GBE-2000A und GBE-3000A consists of a
an impact. This conserves the supporting ropes and pre-
high tensile 4 mm diameter steel wire strand and is, like
vents wire breakages.
®
The rope anchorage (Figure 6)
Rope anchorages can be executed with our proven spiral
the TECCO® mesh, characterized by a high impact strength
and a nominal tensile strength of 1770 N/mm . A finer-
Posts and ground plates (Figure 5)
rope anchors, the new DSA wire loop anchors or stan-
meshed secondary netting improves the protection level.
HEA profile posts contribute to low installation and
dard commercially available self-drilling anchors with
2
2
TECCO® mesh
transport weights. The post head is provided with holes
the Geobrugg FLEX head. These types of anchorages are
Both TECCO® steel wire mesh and SPIDER® spiral rope
for support rope guidance and a shackle for the retaining
suitable because they permit an anchor head deflection
net are delivered in rolls which can be laid out efficiently
ropes, permitting transport by helicopter, crane or boom
of up to 30° and nevertheless accept the full tensile load.
with the installation. Alternatively, they can be delivered
together with the pre-assembled mesh.
Thanks to the U-brake, anchor forces can be kept very
pre-mounted on posts, and then directly at the construct-
low. For this reason only very short drilling lengths are
ion site can be pulled over a support rope like a curtain.
necessary.
SPIDER® spiral rope net
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3
4
5
6
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GBE barriers:
Tested according to ETAG 027, i.e. under
the very toughest conditions.
Vertical drop tests for maximum
impact energies
The tests for the certification of the barriers were carried
out according to guideline ETAG 027 of the European
Organization for Technical Approvals EOTA and monitored by an accredited testing institute. Here we relied
upon the proven testing installation at Walenstadt: There
we could test our rockfall protection barriers under the
toughest possible conditions, that is to say in vertical fall.
Responsible for the measuring technology and a neutral
assessment is the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow
and Landscape Research (WSL) with whom we have a
long-term relationship.
GBE barriers satisfy the most
European Technical Approval
The certification test comprised two so-called SEL (Service
stringent requirements of ETAG
(ETA) and CE marking confirm
Energy Level) tests: The barriers were loaded with two hits
027 category A.
conformity with ETAG 027.
of 33 % of the nominal energy without intermediary
The certification tests are monitored by an accredited
The European Technical Approval (ETA), issued by a
maintenance. The main MEL (Maximum Energy Level) test
testing institute. A recognized approval authority issued
recognized approval authority, and the CE marking
was then performed with 100 % of the nominal energy.
the European Technical Approval (ETA) which will be
underline the conformity of the GBE rockfall barriers
You will find more information about the test procedure at
followed by the CE marking.
with the requirements of the ETAG 027.
www.eota.eu.
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See www.eota.eu>valid ETAs>criteria: ETA number
Corrosion protection:
Only the best is good enough – because
life span depends on it.
GEOBRUGG ULTRACOATING® surpasses even SUPERCOATING® threefold:
The cross sections illustrated below show a comparison of wires treated with GEOBRUGG SUPERCOATING® and
hot-dip galvanization. The pictures were taken by an electron microscope after the wires had been exposed to
environmental influences for 14 years. GEOBRUGG ULTRACOATING® even surpasses this comparison three-fold.
Essentially we supply all steel components (posts, ground
plates and U-brakes) hot-dip galvanized, the TECCO®
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mesh, the SPIDER® net as well as the ropes with GEOBRUGG SUPERCOATING or GEOBRUGG ULTRACOATING ,
®
®
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2
2
the 3rd generation of our zinc/aluminium coating. This
considerably improves the corrosion resistance of the wire:
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comparison tests with galvanized wires demonstrate a
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working life ten times longer for wires treated with
ULTRACOATING®, and three times longer for those treated
GEOBRUGG SUPERCOATING®
Hot-dip galvanizing
with SUPERCOATING .
(1) smooth surface (aluminum oxide layer)
(1) heterogeneous surface (zinc), partially complete
®
disintegration and/or already with rust formation
(2) homogeneous coating (zinc/aluminum)
(2) hard zinc layer (iron/zinc)
(3) wire (Fe)
(3) wire (Fe)
GEOBRUGG ULTRACOATING®:
The intelligent type of coating
GEOBRUGG ULTRACOATING® in the salt spray test
Like with Supercoating, the wires first run through a zinc
In the salt spray test (NaCI) according to EN ISO 9227/DIN 50021/ASTM B117, with ULTRACOATING® it takes ten
bath and afterwards a zinc/aluminum-bath. The result is
times longer for 5% dark brown rust to occur than with zinc. In order to achieve the same corrosion protection as that
an eutectic alloy with 5% aluminum, 94.5% zinc and
provided by 150 g/m² ULTRACOATING®, it would be necessary to apply 1500 g/m² with hot-dip galvanizing.
0.5% of a special add-on. Thanks to this the smooth
surface remains after being attacked by corrosion, since
coastal and volcanic regions).
GEOBRUGG SUPERCOATING® / ULTRACOATING®
conventional galvanizing
1000
2900
2500
2000
1500
1000
950
500
0
290
Behavior in the salt spray test
GEOBRUGG ULTRACOATING®
GEOBRUGG SUPERCOATING®
Hot-dip galvanizing
Required coating (g/m²)
in corrosive environments (roads, railways, industry,
1500
3000
3x bett
er
antees the protected object an economical lifespan even
1200
10x be
tter
formation of an aluminum oxide layer. This latter guar-
Exposure in hours until the occurrence of 5% dark-brown rust
the corrosion leads to a reduction of the zinc layer and to
3500
800
600
400
450
200
0
150
Required coating thicknesses
to achieve the same performance for 2900 hours
of salt spray test until the occurrence of 5%
dark-brown rust
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Installation: Amazingly fast
Fast and low-cost installation
The time spent installing rockfall protection barriers
is an extremely weighty factor in the cost calculations.
This is why we designed GBE barriers as an installationfriendly system without compromise:
- The mesh and the net can be easily pulled over
the support rope like a curtain (Figure 7).
- The mesh/net sections can be quickly connected
with shackles (Figure 8).
- No secondary mesh is required for GBE-500A
and GBE-1000A.
- Just a single anchor suffices for mounting the very
lightweight ground plate. To prevent twisting, an
additional short anchor is drilled by hand, with the
ground plate serving as a template (Figure 1).
- The HEA profile posts are connected to the ground
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plate by a bolt (Figure 2).
- The HEA profile posts are light and therefore easy
to handle (Figure 3).
- The braking elements are only mounted at the sides
and close to the ground (Figure 4).
- The TECCO® mesh and the SPIDER® spiral rope net
can be pre-mounted to the HEA posts and erected
together with the retaining ropes – by hand, crane
or using a helicopter (Figure 5).
- The support rope is simply pulled through the
folded mesh and tensioned (Figure 6).
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5
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3
4
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GBE-500A to GBE-3000A:
The important facts
Type
GBE-500A
GBE-500A-R1
GBE-1000A
GBE-2000A
GBE-3000A
Energy class*
2 (500 kJ)
2 (500 kJ)
3 (1000 kJ)
5 (2000 kJ)
6 (3000 kJ)
Approval no. ETA**
ETA-09/0085
11/0034
ETA-09/0262
ETA-09/0369
ETA-10/0084
CE number
1301-CPD-0572
1301-CPD-0695
1301-CPD-0573
1301-CPD-0622
1301-CPD-0630
SPIDER® spiral rope net
–
–
–
S4-130
S4-130
Strand diameter
–
–
–
8.6 mm
8.6 mm
TECCO® mesh type
G80/4
G80/4
G80/4
–
G80/4
Wire Ø
4 mm
4 mm
4 mm
–
4 mm
Mesh Ø
80 mm
80 mm
80 mm
130 mm
80/130 mm
Post type
HEA 120
HEA 140
HEA 120
HEA 160
HEA 200
Distance between posts
6–12 m
6–12 m
6–12 m
8–12 m
8–12 m
Rope diameter min.
14 mm
14 mm
14 mm
16 mm
20 mm
Rope diameter max.
18 mm
18 mm
20 mm
22 mm
22 mm Geobinex
Per approx. 80–100 m structure length:
Brake elements in support rope
4 x U-150
4 x U-150
4 x U-300
4 x U-300-R16
4 x U-300-R20
Structure height min.
2m
2m
3m
3m
4m
Structure height max.
5m
4m
5m
5m
6m
Test height
3–3.5 m
3–3.5 m
4–5 m
4–5 m
5–6 m
>50 % (Kat. A)
>50 % (Kat. A)
>50 % (Kat. A)
>50 % (Kat. A)
Residual useful height impact section* >50 % (Kat. A)
*according to ETAG 027
Right to technical alterations reserved.
For special applications, we developed GBE-500A-R without retaining ropes.
Geobrugg, a reliable partner
right to the construction site. There we provide support, if
imperative to maintain and service protective systems
It is the task of our engineers (and partners) to analyze
desired, including technical support – from installation
regularly and appropriately. Moreover, the degree of
the problem together with you in detail and then, together
right on up until acceptance of the structure.
protection can be diminished by events that exceed the
absorption capacity of the system as calculated to good
with local consultants, to present solutions. Painstaking
planning is not the only thing you can expect from us,
Product liability
engineering practice, failure to use original parts or
however; since we have our own production plants on
Rockfall, slides, mudflows and avalanches are natural
corrosion (i.e., from environmental pollution or other
three continents, we can offer not only short delivery
events and therefore cannot be calculated. This is why it
outside influences).
paths and times, but also optimal local customer service.
is impossible to determine or guarantee absolute safety
With a view towards a trouble-free execution, we deliver
for persons and property with scientific methods. This
pre-assembled and clearly identified system components
means that to provide the protection we strive for, it is
Geobrugg AG
Geohazard Solutions
Aachstrasse 11 • CH-8590 Romanshorn • Switzerland
Phone +41 71 466 81 55 • Fax +41 71 466 81 50
www.geobrugg.com • info@geobrugg.com
A company of the BRUGG Group
ISO 9001 certified
1.101.01.EN.1112/1000
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**see www.eota.eu>valid ETAs>criteria: ETA number