Blast Protection

Our Reinforced Earth® walls are proven to be a highly stable explosion barrier.

Our MSE walls for blast protection are designed to impede the propagation of a blast at ground level and absorb high levels of energy with a strong tolerance for deformation. The excellent adaptability of the Reinforced Earth® and TechSpan® technologies means that they are the ideal solution for meeting the requirements of protective structures used in the civilian and military sectors, thanks to their ability to withstand high loads, vibrations, variations in temperature, and electrical shocks.

Reinforced Earth® MSE walls for blast protection are used in military bases to protect explosives depots, underground bunkers, and storage silos. Protective walls are designed for human protection and contain the spread of damage to adjacent structures.

Testing and approval

Full-scale blast testing of Reinforced Earth® walls have taken place between 1975 and 2014. Tests were performed on structures built with both concrete and steel-facing elements. Tests have taken place in the USA, France, Germany, Australia, Israel, and South Korea.

In 1988 the US Army Corps of Engineers recommended Reinforced Earth® MSE walls for blast protection as a standard design for reinforced soil barricades. Subsequently, the Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board (DDESB) approved our walls to protect facilities and equipment located close to explosives sites from high-velocity, low-angle fragment damage.

The official approval review documentation namely DEF 149-30-01 concluded the following benefits of building blast barricades with Reinforced Earth® MSE walls. That our walls:

• Can be economically and rapidly constructed
• Requires shallow foundation
• Variety of architectural facing elements and finishes available (cruciform, hexagonal, ribbed, etc.)
• No height or length limitations
• Facing elements are reusable
• Walls can be located close to site boundaries or obstructions
• System adaptable to sloping wall configurations and to tier
• System can tolerate a significant amount of settlement
• Repair can be accomplished on individual facing elements
• Galvanized strips, steel wire mesh, geosynthetics are used for soil reinforcement

Similar tests are conducted on the TechSpan® precast concrete arch technology as well beginning in the late 1990’s and till today. In 1999, both Reinforced Earth® and TechSpan® were approved in combination by the US Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board (DDESB) for the construction of blast barriers or standard oval arch earth covered storage magazines (ECM). TechSpan®’s 3-hinge staggered arrangement provides flexibility to absorb explosive energy while remaining structurally intact.

Non-military applications

Private sector and municipal establishments also encounter risks associated with explosions and bombardment. For instance, mining sites are known to utilize vast amounts of explosives in their operations. We have collaborated with leading mining companies, explosive product manufacturers, and fortification investigative board members to reduce the risks in their operating environment by providing our MSE walls for blast protection.

Wall materials and configurations

Reinforced Earth® barricades and blast shielding can be clad with concrete or even steel. While in most cases we employ concrete facing, our Terratrel® alternative steel facing for MSE walls for blast protection offer the benefit of being lightweight and easily transportable for rapid installation without the need for heavy equipment. The choice of soil reinforcements extends to high-adherence steel strips, high-tensile geosynthetic strips (GeoStrap®) and welded ladders, depending on your specific project requirements.

Protective arch structures

We offer blast resistant enclosures consisting of TechSpan® precast arches in the form of confined earth-covered “igloo” type structures. These structures are designed to the highest military and commercial standards to protect your assets against damage and propagation from all sorts of external assault and natural forces.