MacRes®

Maccaferri is active in the research and development of innovative

solutions and new products for retention works.
In launching MacRes®, our aim was to add a vertical faced, durable
reinforced soil system for demanding infrastructure applications.

MacRes®
The Maccaferri MacRes® system is a Mechanically
Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining wall system Finishing ground level

comprised of precast concrete facing panels and

discrete high adherence polymeric soil reinforcing
strips. The tensile forces in the soil are transferred to
the reinforcing strips by means of friction.
The MacRes® has been used on many projects Reinforced
worldwide for various applications such as bridge Backfill
ParaWeb™ Soil
wing walls and abutments, railways, highways, CIP concrete Reinforcement
airports, quarries and other industrial areas. leveling pad

System Components
The MacRes® system consists of 3 structural elements
designed for easy installation and flexible use:
1. Precast concrete facing panels either square
(5’w x 5’h), or rectangular in shape (10’w x 5’h)
2. High strength polyester soil reinforcing ParaWeb™
strips encased in a tough and durable Linear Low
Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) coating available
with nominal tensile strength ranging from 6,740
to 25,170 lb
3. Connection assembly composed of a High Density
Polyethylene (HDPE) MacBox™ cavity insert box
secured by a steel rebar cast into the precast
facing panel

Panel Features
The precast concrete facing panels are designed based on a minimum concrete
compressive strength at 28 days of 4,000 psi. MacRes® panels minimum thickness is 5½
inches. The front face of the concrete facing panels can be finished with a broad range
of form liner textures to satisfy a wide range of aesthetic and architectural requirements.

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 The soil reinforcement elements are the key components of the
MacRes® system.
Maccaferri reinforcements have been intensively tested since 1976.
ParaWeb™ is NTPEP approved.

Polymeric Reinforcing Strips

The ParaWeb™ reinforcements are planar strips manufactured from
high tenacity, multifilament polyester yarns aligned and co-extruded
with a LLDPE sheath to form polymeric strips.
The ParaWeb™ soil reinforcing strips are available in a wide
range of tensile strengths in order to optimize the design and
construction efficiency.
The ParaWeb™ mechanical and physical
properties have been qualified by:
NTPEP (National Transportation Product
Evaluation Program).
BBA (British Board of Agrément), a
reputable British third-party certification
body of construction products, based on
laboratory tests.
The polyethylene coating allows the use of ParaWeb™ in
highly alkaline environments (pH>11) commonly found in
recycled concrete and lime-stabilized backfill materials.

Connecting System
The HDPE MacBox™ is integrated with the panel by an
embedded steel rebar encased in a polymeric sleeve for
corrosion protection. The sleeve avoids any intrusion
during the casting phase and prevents damage to the
polymeric soil reinforcing strips in contact with the rebar.
An alternate polymeric anchor rod (in lieu of a steel
rebar) may also be considered with this system.
The geostrips are simply wrapped around the anchor bar.
The connection strength has been determined through
independent connection/pullout testing programs.

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 The design of the MacRes® MSE wall system strictly follows the AASHTO LRFD
bridge specifications and FHWA recommended guidance.
The internal stability design follows the AASHTO simplified method, which is
intended for MSE walls with extensible reinforcements.

Advantages of System
The MacRes® MSE wall system outperforms traditional
reinforced concrete structures because it offers:
 Resistance against corrosion and increased
durability of all components, giving a project
working life of up to 120 years even in chemically
aggressive soils;
 Rapid system deployment and installation;
 Cost effective due to system simplicity and design
efficiency;
 Does not require specialist mechanical equipment
or experienced labor;
 Enables the use of lower quality backfill materials in
reinforced zone;
 Attractive appearance and high level of
customization possible;
 Flexibility to meet layout requirements;
 Deep experience on challenging and complex
projects;
 High quality technical and construction support
from planning through to construction;
 Use of MSEW software or the Maccaferri dedicated
software for stability calculations and drawings.

Maccaferri Services
Research and Development with Research
Institutions and Universities

Technical design support using

dedicated software

Architectural design support

Installation assistance

W idespread presence throughout the country

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 Faster construction: up to 2,100 sq. ft. per location per day.
Approximately 5 times faster than the construction and soil placement of a
traditional reinforced concrete gravity structure.

MacRes® System
5-step MacRes® System
2.
1. E
 xcavation and foundation preparation
and leveling pad construction

2. Positioning the first row of panels on

the lean concrete leveling pad

3. Laying and compaction backfill 1.

4. Installation of soil reinforcing strips

3.
5. Placement of subsequent panels

4.

5.

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 Notable case studies
During the 2015 Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual meeting
a paper on the project’s monitoring program, “Instrumented MSE Wall
reinforced with Polyester Straps”, was voted Best Paper 2015 in the Soil
Mechanics Section.

I-95 / SR1 Interchange New Castle, Delaware–DelDOT

The SR 1/I-95 interchange is a full cloverleaf interchange that connects Interstate 95 to SR 1 and SR 7 in
New Castle County, Delaware. The main purpose of this project was to relieve congestion at a highly
trafficked interchange. The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) approved this project for
construction in 2011.
The scope of the project included 16 MSE walls and 12 bridge abutments which were built using rectangular
concrete panel units (10’h x 5’w x 5.5”d) and soil backfill reinforced by polymeric ParaWeb™ strips.
The maximum wall height achieved was 40 ft. and the total wall surface built is 172,000 sq. ft.

AASHTO does not address polymeric reinforcing strips

and DelDOT required that at least one section of the
wall include monitoring instrumentation.
A 26.9 ft high section was fully instrumented enabling
it to be monitored and performance data collected.
Analysis of the performance data revealed:
• Confirmation that the design input was correct;
• Long-term loads in the straps and in the connection
were at least 4 times smaller than predicted,
• The displacement at mid-height was negligible and
the length of the reinforcing straps is adequate.

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 Notable case studies
Contact your local Maccaferri Technical Office for more detailed project
information and experience.

Santa Rosa Tunnel, Perù

The MSE wall built in Perù for the Santa Rosa Tunnel
is 62 ft. high, has a surface area of 129,000 sq. ft. and
was constructed in 2010. Maccaferri collaborated
with the project engineers for this Lima
Municipality project.

Kwagga Coal Mine,

South Africa
Maccaferri Africa constructed 82 ft. high wall 30,139
sq. ft. surface in the Mpumalanga region of South
Africa. The bench between the two tiered wall
sections is less than 3 ft. The designer for the mining
company and Maccaferri Africa technical department
collaborated during the design phase. This MSE wall
is the highest ever built in South Africa.

Reading Viaduct, UK
The constructions consist of a series of back-to-back
MacRes® walls to create an elevated railway. The
walls were designed to accommodate derailment
loads. 27,000 sq. ft. of MacRes® walls of up to 17 ft.
in height were built on a load transfer platform,
reinforced with Paralink™.

Arluno Overpass, Italy

The lack of space and the need of a railway overpass
for a cycle track had to be overcome in this Italian
project. 37,000 sq. ft. of the MacRes® system with
geosynthetic reinforcements provided a safe and
effective solution for this problem.

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Officine Maccaferri Group Profile
Founded in 1879, Officine Maccaferri soon became a technical
reference in the design and development of solutions for erosion
control and retaining structures.
Since then, through technological innovation, geographical
expansion and focused diversification, Maccaferri now offers
solutions at a global level for a wide range of civile and

ANY REPRODUCTION, INCLUDING PHOTOCOPY, FILM AND MICROFILM, IS FORBIDDEN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE.
environmental engineering applications.

Consultancy and Partnership

Maccaferri’s motto is ‘Engineering a Better Solution’; We do not
merely supply products, but work in partnership with our clients,
offering technical expertise to deliver versatile, cost effective
and environmentally sound solutions. We aim to build mutually
beneficial relationships with clients through the quality of our
service and solutions.

Organizational Structure
Officine Maccaferri is at the heart of the Maccaferri Industrial
Group. Its continued growth is based upon long-held values
of innovation, integrity, excellent service and respect for the
environment.
Maccaferri’s vision is to become a leading international provider
of advanced solutions to the civil engineering and construction
market. Implementing a strategy of vertical integration,
Maccaferri researches, manufactures, designs, supplies and
constructs solutions within its target markets.
The capability of the business continues to expand due to a
strategic plan to open new markets and grow existing ones;
Maccaferri now offers advanced engineered solutions from
beach nourishment to reinforced soil structures and from rockfall
mitigation to tunneling systems.
With nearly 3000 employees, over 30 manuring facilities and local
operation in 100 countries around the world, Maccaferri can truly
claim to have a global presence with local focus.

Maccferri: Engineering a Better Solution

Maccaferri operates under strict quality assurance and management procedures.

Please visit the website of your local subsidiary for details of their Certifications.

Contact Us:

Headquarters:
10303 Governor Lane Blvd.
Williamsport, MD 21795-3115
Tel: 301.223.6910
Fax: 301.223.4590
info@us.maccaferri.com
www.maccaferri.com/us
© 2015 Officine Maccaferri S.p.A. - Bologna - Italy. Photo: Officine Maccaferri Archive