The advantage of gabion structures is that they are simple, cost-effective, and quick to construct, and they are used in a wide variety of applications in Japan and abroad. However, despite the fact that wire mesh comprising the gabion has been used for a long time, there are few studies on its basic mechanical properties. Therefore, the design and construction of gabion structures are mostly based on experience due to the lack of established design methods. In this study, large triaxial compression tests on the stones for filling into gabion boxes and a series of compression tests on miniature gabions were carried out in order to understand the basic mechanical properties of the structures. From the tests, the compressive properties of the miniature gabions were found to be varied depending on the difference of geometry of the stone and the combination of the shape and direction of the wire mesh. These results suggest that an understanding on deformation mechanism of gabion structures is necessary for their reasonable design and construction.
