(Newswire.net — February 14, 2021) — Over the years, many people in the environmental conservation and construction industry have been battling with how to control loose soil particles. People have been trying to find ways to mitigate soil erosion and improve construction projects’ structural integrity. With constant technological advancement, researchers came up with geogrids.
Geogrids are geosynthetic materials used to reinforce soil and materials of the same nature. They are used to reinforce and retain walls, used as subbases in the foundation of buildings, road and rail tracks. These materials are designed to withstand the tensile pressure exerted on these surfaces by forces from human traffic, motor vehicles, and even weather extremes.
We can discuss the uses after we understand how they work. Geogrids have horizontal layers that provide tensile strength to reinforce soil or similar material holding the mass together. By becoming part of the soil, they add weight and size to the system, which boosts its pressure resistance.
This article is centered on some of the geogrids’ applications, either in construction or in controlling soil erosion.
Application of geogrids
Geogrids are used in railroad construction
Over the years, civil engineers have discovered the use of geogrids to reinforce railroad beds to boost the road’s structural integrity and performance. This is done through two procedures;
I. They are included at the bottom with the ballast layer. This becomes beneficial during maintenance, ballast cleaning, and replacement.
II. They can be added just under the rail line as a reinforcement to the sub-ballast. This increases the tensile strength of the underlying soft subgrade.
Used to control and prevent soil erosion
For effective soil erosion control, people use organic geogrids. This is because of their flexibility and drapable features compared to other geogrids. These features allow them to realign to the contours of the soil surface. This way, the grids can increase the bond between the soil and vegetation, effectively reducing soil erosion.
Geogrids have also been known to absorb kinetic energy produced by running water while holding soil particles together. This way, they can control soil erosion. Its ability to hold vegetation together on slopes makes it efficient when planting vegetation on slopes to prevent erosion.
Useful in improving structural foundation
Different areas comprise different soil types, some of which are not efficient in supporting construction. Other areas have also witnessed a surge in the construction process, making engineers and contractors switch to shallow foundations. For this to be effective, stakeholders have to employ the use of geogrids as a reinforcement mechanism to support heavy structures.
Introducing geogrids to the soil components and other materials has proven to be efficient. This is according to studies done using both clay and sand soils, two soils that are not capable of supporting heavy structures.
They are used to reinforce walls
The taller the wall being built the more unstable it is. This instability may also result from the weight exerted on the wall. To remedy this, builders are using geogrids as a stabilizing agent. Geogrids are fitted behind the walls to stabilize soil material, which increases the coherent mass of the wall, increasing its stability.
Increasing the length of geogrids also allows builders to increase the wall’s height by increasing the mass of the structure.
They are used for the reinforcement of pavements
When constructing pavements, geogrids have two primary functions, separation and reinforcement. They are strategically added to the construction to improve the engineering qualities of the pavement mechanically. They are also efficient in reducing the base course thickness of pavements.
They are used in road construction
During road construction, civil engineers use geogrids to improve the subgrade by providing a solid construction surface while reducing poor soil waste. They are also efficient in stiffening the aggregate base of the road.