Reno Mattresses - Galvanised Woven Gabion Mattresses

iver mattresses are the primary specification for riverbed scour protection on infrastructure crossings, bridge foundations, culvert outlets, weir aprons, and river diversion structures across Africa. Placed flat over the riverbed on a geotextile separation layer and filled with local rock, the mattress confines the protective layer against hydraulic displacement under peak flow - preventing the progressive scour and undermining that destroys unprotected or rip-rap protected riverbeds over successive flood events. Rock mattresses outperform loose rip-rap in high shear stress scour conditions because the wire mesh prevents individual stone displacement.

Galvanised and PVC coated river mattresses are specified for longitudinal river bank protection on eroding rivers, flood diversion channels, and irrigation canal banks across southern and East Africa. Laid over the bank profile on a geotextile separation layer and filled with local rock, the mattress provides flexible, permeable protection that conforms to the bank shape and accommodates seasonal bank movement without fracturing. Mattresses are combined with box gabion baskets at the bank toe where additional vertical protection is required to prevent undercutting.

River mattresses provide flexible scour protection for dam embankment faces, spillway aprons, stilling basins, and downstream channel linings on small to medium dams across sub-Saharan Africa. The permeable mattress structure allows pore water pressure to equalise during rapid drawdown after flood events, eliminating the uplift force that causes rigid concrete lining to fail. For stepped spillway applications, mattresses are placed over each step face and laced to gabion basket risers to form a continuous protected spillway profile.

River mattresses are widely used in road construction for roadside drain lining, culvert inlet and outlet scour aprons, catch drain protection, and side drain channel lining on road embankments and cuttings. The flexible mattress conforms to the as-built drain profile without precise subgrade preparation, installs rapidly with unskilled labour, and provides a permanent low-maintenance lining that handles the high-velocity concentrated flow conditions at culvert outlets that destroy unlined drains within the first wet season.

PVC coated river mattresses in heavy duty 80x100mm specification are used for mine dewatering channel lining, acid mine drainage discharge structures, tailings facility spillway protection, and mine site stormwater management channels where standard galvanised wire would corrode rapidly in the chemically aggressive discharge environment. The dual-layer corrosion protection of PVC coating over Class A Galvanised wire provides the service life required for mine infrastructure intended to remain in service through the operational and closure phases of the mine.

The standard specification for riverbed scour protection, river bank revetment, channel lining, roadway drainage structures, and dam embankment face protection across civil and infrastructure projects in southern and East Africa. Hexagonal woven double-twist mesh with 60x80mm aperture, 2.2mm mesh wire, and 3.4mm salvage wire. Class A Galvanised to SANS 1580. Internal diaphragm panels at 1m centres. Standard sizes from 2x1x0.3m to 6x2x0.30m in stock. Geotextile separation layer supplied with order.

PVC coated river mattress for permanently submerged structures, coastal and marine environments, acid mine drainage discharge zones, and chemically aggressive river conditions where standard galvanised wire corrodes prematurely. 0.5mm grey PVC coating extruded over Class A Galvanised wire core — dual-layer corrosion protection extending service life significantly beyond the galvanised-only specification. Same mesh geometry and standard sizes as the galvanised range. Specify PVC coated for all structures within 5km of the coast, permanently submerged, or exposed to acid mine drainage or contaminated effluent.

Heavy duty river mattress in 80x100mm aperture with 2.7mm mesh wire and 3.4mm salvage wire for the most aggressive hydraulic environments — high-energy spillway aprons, mine dewatering discharge structures, fast-flowing rivers with floating debris, and applications where additional wire mass is required for extended design life under abrasive flow conditions. Available Class A Galvanised or PVC coated. Sizes available on request. Contact our technical team for availability and lead time.