Skip to main content

Geosynthetics for base reinforcement

Tensar is making some key moves internationally, as well as in terms of market segments. The company is now marketing the GlasGrid range in the US and expects to develop healthy sales, however it sees major growth potential with the Geogrid product range. Jim Penman, director for bi-axial products & applications said: "One area we're moving into is base reinforcement and in particular what we're looking at is mechanistic emirical (ME) technology." Tensar has worked with the University of Illinois on a new d
March 14, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

Tensar is making some key moves internationally, as well as in terms of market segments. The company is now marketing the GlasGrid range in the US and expects to develop healthy sales, however it sees major growth potential with the Geogrid product range.

Jim Penman, director for bi-axial products & applications said: "One area we're moving into is base reinforcement and in particular what we're looking at is mechanistic emirical (ME) technology." 340 Tensar has worked with the University of Illinois on a new design specification for Geogrid, setting out numerical models. Discrete element modelling using spheres has also been employed to establish the behaviour of the materials in a construction environment. With previous attempts in this field, there was no interaction between the models and the results were limited. However this latest advance allows the engineers to model the load exerted on the road and as a result, the effect of the GlasGrid product can be factored into the calculations.

With this stage complete, Penman said that the company is now starting to develop the product commercially and he also outlined the commerical benefits to Tensar of proving the Geogrid in the base reinforcement sector. "Right now our market is in soil reinforcement buth the market for base reinforcement is 50 times the size," he said.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Caterpillar is looking forward to future growth in China
    November 27, 2012
    Caterpillar is taking a long term view in China, seeing the country as having immense potential for construction. The company has a large presence at bauma China, with its display focussing on equipment crucial to the Chinese market and this reflects its long experience in the country, having commenced operations in the early 1970s. Speaking at the firm’s bauma China press conference, Ed Rapp, Caterpillar Group President Construction Industry said, “Our display is about our long term position in China. Ther
  • Successful Eurobitume conference in Istanbul
    June 26, 2012
    The Eurasphalt & Eurobitume 2012 event in Turkey has attracted record attendance figures - Mike Woof reports A strong focus on sustainability has been the focus for the 5th Eurasphalt & Eurobitume Congress held in June 2012 at Turkey’s Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Congress Centre. The conference had as its theme: Asphalt, the sustainable road to success and attracted the highest ever number of attendees for this four yearly event. In one of the opening presentations Turkey’s transport minister, Binali Yildirim, sp
  • Machine control brings accuracy to US paving job
    November 2, 2012
    The historic city of Raleigh in North Carolina is one of the few cities in the US that was planned and built specifically to serve as a state capital and its population and traffic volume have grown enormously in recent years An indicator of Raleigh's growth has been the need for an expanded roadway system to serve Wake County. As early as the 1970s there were plans for a Western Wake Expressway. This developed into a 112km, interstate-grade beltway, known as the Raleigh Outer Loop, which will encompass Ral
  • Shell’s John Read explains “adaptable bitumen” developments
    December 15, 2016
    Shell’s highly innovative bitumen and asphalt solutions are helping create future-ready urban road networks around the world to meet the needs of today and tomorrow. Shell’s general manager of bitumen technology, Professor John Read, takes a look at some of the company’s game-changing ideas. The next 30 or so years will see a significant transformation in the way we live. Whereas almost 75% of the world’s population lived in rural locations in 1950, around 75% will live in cities by 2050. The global popu