Reinforced earth retaining walls and mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) structures are engineered solutions for building stable, near-vertical embankments or embankments with steep slopes without concrete. Conventional concrete retaining walls are costly and structurally rigid. Secugrid® uniaxial geogrids and Combigrid® composite products replace concrete with reinforced compacted soil, delivering equivalent load capacity at significantly lower cost.
Secugrid® and Combigrid® reinforced earth solutions are deployed wherever stable structures are required on a limited footprint, in steep terrain or at sensitive locations.
Near-vertical mechanically stabilised earth walls for road widening, bridge approaches and urban development.
Geogrid-reinforced bridge approach embankments that reduce differential settlement and approach slab cracking.
Reinforced waste rock embankments and tailings containment structures for mining environments.
Vegetated reinforced slopes and green retaining walls for urban landscaping and ecological restoration.
Mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) walls are built by placing compacted fill in lifts, each reinforced with a geogrid layer. The geogrid must resist installation damage during compaction while delivering high tensile stiffness at low elongations. Secugrid® uniaxial geogrids are manufactured from highly oriented polyester bars joined by Naue’s patented welding, producing a geogrid with high modulus and proven installation damage resistance.
Practical advantages:
Long-term wall stability depends on controlled drainage of the reinforced fill. Excess pore-water pressure in wall backfill reduces soil strength and increases lateral earth pressure. A drainage and filtration system prevents fine particles from migrating into the drainage layer and maintains wall integrity.
Reinforcement improves load capacity. Drainage and filtration protect the structure long-term.
Technical benefit: Components can be independently specified and replaced.
Technical benefit: Single-layer installation eliminates the risk of component misalignment.
The right product depends on project conditions. This table provides engineers and specifiers with a structured comparison across seven key criteria.
| Criterion | Secugrid® | Combigrid® |
|---|---|---|
| Application | MSE walls, reinforced slopes, steep embankments. | MSE walls and reinforced slopes where reinforcement and separation/filtration are required in the same layer. |
| Subgrade / fill type | Granular or cohesive fill; any compactable material. | Fine-grained or water-sensitive subgrades and fills where migration of fines must be prevented. |
| Load class (structural) | High — primary reinforcement; uniaxial strength in the machine direction. | Reinforcement plus separation; grid component selected to suit the design load. |
| Installation speed | Two placement operations — geogrid plus a separate drainage geotextile where required. | Single layer — one roll, fewer interfaces, no risk of component misalignment. |
| Drainage / filtration | Requires a separate Secutex® layer or a drainage composite. | Integrated: Secutex® nonwoven factory-bonded to the geogrid. |
| Standards | EBGEO, BS 8006-1, FHWA-NHI, AS 4678, EN ISO 10319. | EBGEO, BS 8006-1, FHWA-NHI, AS 4678, EN ISO 10319. |
| Recommended product | Secugrid® 80/20 R6, 120/40 R6, 200/40 R6. | Combigrid® (grid/nonwoven combination per project) |
Design confidence and normative compliance
MSE walls are designed in accordance with EBGEO, BS 8006-1 and FHWA-NHI standards. Long-term design strength (LTDS) calculated with project-specific reduction factors for installation damage, creep and durability. Secugrid® is certified up to pH 12.5, covering highly alkaline environments.
Cost efficiency up to 40 % compared with concrete
Geogrid-reinforced walls can cost up to 40 % less than concrete gravity walls. Veneer wall systems can save up to 403 USD/m2 compared with gravity wall alternatives (GRI Conference 2000).
Simple installation - no specialist equipment
Secugrid® is installed in 60 cm compacted lifts. No specialist equipment required. Combigrid® delivers reinforcement and drainage in one roll, reducing material handling and coordination on site. The wrap-around method provides a permanent facing without steel or concrete formwork.
A reinforced earth retaining wall is a structure built from layers of compacted fill reinforced with horizontal geogrid elements. The composite of soil and geogrid acts as a coherent mass resisting lateral earth pressure. Secugrid® uniaxial geogrids are the primary reinforcement element. No concrete is required.
Use Secugrid® where only structural reinforcement is required and drainage is addressed separately. Choose Combigrid® where both reinforcement and filtration are needed in one layer. Combigrid® simplifies site logistics and reduces material interfaces in wall backfill zones.
Design is carried out in accordance with EBGEO in Germany, BS 8006-1 in the United Kingdom, FHWA-NHI in the United States and AS 4678 in Australia. Long-term design strength (LTDS) is calculated in accordance with EN ISO 10319 using project-specific reduction factors for installation damage, creep and chemical durability.
Geogrid-reinforced veneer walls can save up to 403 USD/m2 compared with gravity walls (GRI Conference 2000, Dr. R. Koerner, Drexel University). Overall wall construction costs cn be up to 40 % lower than equivalent concrete gravity structures.
Fill is placed and compacted in 60 cm lifts. Secugrid® geogrid is rolled out horizontally at each lift boundary and anchored by the compacted fill. For wall facing, the wrap-around method is used with galvanised steel grid formwork as permanent facing. No concrete pour or curing time is required.
Yes. Secugrid® geogrids hold European Technical Approvals and national certifications. Alkaline resistance is certified up to pH 12.5. The installation damage reduction factor is determined by field testing to EBGEO. Projects in the UK follow BS 8006-1; in the US, FHWA-NHI design guidance applies.
MSE walls with Secugrid® have been constructed at heights exceeding 20 m. A 40-layer wrap-around wall was built in Marbella, Spain at an inclination of 85 degrees using Secugrid® 80/20 R6 and 200/40 R6 in combination. Also see more case studies here.
Long-term design strength (LTDS) is the design tensile resistance of a geogrid after accounting for all degradation mechanisms over the design life, typically more than 100 years. For Secugrid®, LTDS is derived from characteristic tensile strength (EN ISO 10319) divided by reduction factors for installation damage (RFid), creep (RFcr) and chemical durability (RFch) in accordance with EBGEO or BS 8006-1. Project-specific field tests determine RFid values.
Yes. The wrap-around facing method with Secugrid® allows topsoil pockets to be formed at the slope face, enabling grass or shrub planting. Secumat® erosion control mat can be applied to the face to retain topsoil and support rapid vegetation establishment. Naue Steel P combines galvanised steel mesh facing with a vegetation layer for permanent structures at inclinations up to 85 degrees.
MSE wall and reinforced slope design is carried out in accordance with recognised standards. Naue provides engineering support and calculation tools for project-specific dimensioning.
The following system benefits come directly from how the Naue products work within the layer structure:
Naue Secugrid® geogrid stabilises and reinforces roads, embankments, working platforms, slopes and walls.
Naue Combigrid® is a geogrid with integrated nonwoven geotextile that combines stabilisation, reinforcement, separation and filtration in a single installation step.
Naue Secutex® is a mechanically bonded nonwoven geotextile for separation, filtration and protection in roads, railways and hydraulic engineering projects.
Naue Secumat® is an erosion control mat for the protection of slopes, channels and embankments.
