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.
Asphalt milling, paving & compaction Concrete milling, paving & compaction Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Drones in construction, the future of surveying?
    August 21, 2015
    It may be early days for using drones – unmanned aerial systems (UAS) -- to map construction sites, but technology and legislation are moving in that direction. At the moment drones can fly within only a 500m radius of the ‘pilot’ standing on the ground, making the flight area a 1km diameter. This is the key limiting issue for any sector, especially road construction, says Jonathan Gill, a robotics engineer and a qualified drone pilot for the past seven years.
    Read More
  • S&P Global Rating: credit stability for toll road operators
    August 14, 2017
    The outlook is generally stable for business conditions and credit quality for toll roads worldwide, according to the latest survey from ratings agency S&P Global.The exception is the US where the overall outlook is “positive”, noted the report S&P Global Ratings' 2017. The 21-page report considers broad economic and industry-specific trends. It looks at economic conditions, demographic trends and geopolitical risks that affect the movement of people and goods. “We expect stable or improving, but still frag
    Read More
  • Lighting innovations boosting brightness, cutting costs
    January 27, 2014
    CU Phosco’s new P850 LED main road lantern has just seen its first major deployment – between Junctions 16 and 17 of the A55, a strategic road which skirts the North Wales coastline – Jason Barnes reports The A55 is a grade-separated dual carriageway also known as the North Wales Expressway. Some 139km long, it originally ran from Chester to Bangor but was extended across the Isle of Anglesey into Holyhead Docks in 2001 under a project part-funded by the European Union.
    Read More
  • The IRF is gearing up for greener road infrastructure
    March 13, 2014
    Prominent new publication reinforces IRF Geneva’s long-standing commitment to making sustainable transport a reality Moving Towards Green Road Infrastructure: Case Studies and Lessons Learned’ is the latest in a series of practical resources developed by IRF Geneva aimed at identifying tangible solutions for encouraging sustainability at every stage of the road infrastructure life cycle. Formally launched last December in the framework of the IRF Geneva Summit ‘Bringing Policy and Practice Together’,
    Read More

Highlighted Content