Cell-Tek Geosynthetics Load Support & Erosion Control Blog: Geosynthetics at Work: Beyond Blankets and Mats

Geocellular Confinement

Geocellular Confinement takes infill materials and produces a stiff base by creating a semi-rigid slab. The system prevents the lateral displacement of infill materials which eliminates rutting and washboarding usually associated with gravel pavements. The system allows for a reduction in overall base thickness, as well as enabling subgrade materials to withstand more than 10 times the number of cyclic load applications, without the appearance of deflection when compared to unconfined aggregates. GCS allows for the use of lower quality infill materials in situations where quality aggregates are not readily available and helps to create pavements on soft soil subgrades. When it comes to load support in porous paving applications, Cell-Tek's LSG SERIES delivers the competitive advantage.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Geosynthetics at Work: Beyond Blankets and Mats

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Geosynthetics are amazing materials. They drain, contain and filter. They separate as well as hold together. They work underground and underwater, on mountainsides and on rooftops. According to the International Geosynthetics Society, the words geotextiles and geomembraneswere coined only about 30 years ago, at the first International Conference on Geotextiles, in Paris. Since then, we have added geogrids, geonets, geosynthetic clay liners, geofoam, and geocomposites. These materials are made of polypropylene, polyester, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLPDE), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), to name a few. All are flexible and durable.

Geotextiles are one of the largest groups of geosynthetics. Their fibers are either woven, knitted, needle-punched, or matted together into fabrics. They’re porous to varying degrees and are used for separation, reinforcement, filtration, and drainage. Geomembranes are another large group of geosynthetics. These are relatively thin, impervious sheets of polymers. They’re often used for linings and covers to contain liquids or vapors in landfills, reservoirs, and canals.

Geogrids are stretched sheets of polymers that form open grids. Uniaxial geogrids stretch in one direction and have rectangular apertures. Biaxial geogrids stretch in both directions and have virtually square apertures. They can be filled with soil, aggregate, or concrete and almost always are used for reinforcement and to improve load-bearing capacity.