Pyramat® Protects King Solomon’s Wings

The Project

Fortescue Metals Group’s Solomon Project ranks as a world-class iron ore venture. Located in the Pilbara Region of WA, 200km south of Port Hedland, it features a steep-sided structure that was at risk of erosion.

The wing walls of the primary ore crushing hub needed protection from cyclonic rain and wind events which are increasingly prevalent in the Pilbara region.

Our Solution

Pyramat® was the product of choice to reduce erosion on the steep 60° batters due to its superior shear strength and tensile strength, along with exceedingly high UV resistance.

Test results demonstrate that after 10,000 hours of accelerated UV exposure, Pyramat® retains 85% tensile strength. A common specification requirement for geosynthetics is some 50% strength retention after only 500 hours of accelerated testing as being acceptable performance for UV exposure.

Pyramat® is fast becoming the ‘go-to’ product for soft armour erosion control in the harsh arid climate of the Pilbara, where searing heat during the dry seasons would normally preclude the use of polymer-based soft armour solutions.

Pyramat® High Performance Turf Reinforcement Mats (HPTRMs) are equipped to handle the most demanding erosion control applications. The patented Pyramat® three-dimensional profile makes HPTRMs ten times stronger than traditional TRMs. Additionally, the ‘tri-lobal’ filaments of Pyramat® are purpose-designed to trap mobilised sediment, ensuring optimal soil retention during flow events.

The outstanding UV resistance of Pyramat® makes it the preferred TRM in arid and semi-arid environments or other applications where scour protection is required, but full vegetation is not desired or easily established.

For this project, specialised Tek screws were used to fasten the Pyramat® to the batter due to the extremely hard, cohesive nature of the Pindan fill material after compaction.

The contractor noted that Pyramat® “was relatively easy to install when following the installation guide - the product was easy to work with and produced the desired outcome.”

For further information on this project or to obtain specialised advice and support on your next TRM project, contact the engineering team at Global Synthetics.