Deltares Netherlands, an institute for applied research in the field of water and subsurface, has tested Australian Composite Walls to confirm the performance of composites in the most demanding environments. Composite Walls is a continuous, inter-locking composite wall system developed by Comtec in Australia using composite profiles by Exel Composites.

The wall system is made up of sheet sections that are fixed to piles. The Australian Composite Walls seawall construction gives good protection against flooding, protects the shoreline and stops erosion.

Leading composite technology company Exel Composites supplied both profiles for the system. Composite profiles guarantee the maximum corrosion resistance in demanding environments, provide high strength and stiffness and are light in weight.

Deltares recently carried out the tests at Delta Flume, a unique test facility where it is possible to test at full scale the effect of extreme waves on dikes, dunes, breakwaters and offshore structures.

The Australian Composite Walls in the Delta Flume is an 8.5 metre high structure, consisting of two sheet pile walls with sand in between and a sand berm behind it. The test started with a moderate hydraulic load and a step-by-step increase in it until damage occurs or all scheduled tests have been carried out.

“We are very excited to be part of this innovative solution, which is utiliSing well the unique characteristics of composites. First installations were made earlier this year and we expect these full-scale tests to confirm the performance of composites in the most demanding environments,” said Kari Loukola, SVP sales & marketing at Exel Composites. (KD)