Road construction is rooted in resource intensive practices driven by the soil mechanics of where development occurs. Each geography comes with its own challenges, which typically have been met with traditional solutions. This is where pavement design and consulting with a leading manufacturer of geosynthetics such as Strata Geosystems can assist infrastructure companies with cost effective and sustainable interventions. Through its innovation for highway construction, asphalt roads, or unpaved roads, Strata Geosystems offers a diverse range of purpose built products –be it StrataWall™, permanent and temporary retaining wall MSE walls, or StrataGrid®: there’s a suite of choices to address every soil mechanics challenge. This exploration aims to delve deeper into the role of geosynthetics in reducing carbon emissions in road construction, placing a spotlight on the groundbreaking products offered by Strata Geosystems and its impact on road construction.
Road construction has historically been a carbon intensive infrastructural investment. Right from removal of green cover, creation of asphalt paved roads, or concrete roads, subgrade improvement, vehicular operations to transport materials –each process is a contributor to greenhouse gases [GHGs]. The overarching question looms: is it conceivable to construct roads without leaving a lasting carbon imprint? Strata Geosystems enable the minimisation of carbon emissions. Using geosynthetics in road construction can contribute to reducing carbon emissions, but it may not make the construction process completely carbon neutral. Geogrids and Geocells are typically used to strengthen and stabilise roads, which can lead to longer-lasting infrastructure and potentially reduce the need for frequent repairs and maintenance.
At the core of Strata Geosystems’ strategy lies the emphasis on local sourcing of materials. The rationale is simple yet powerful – proximity reduces the need for extensive transportation, resulting in a substantial reduction in carbon emissions. This strategy not only aligns with environmental goals but also brings economic benefits to local communities, fostering a holistic approach to sustainability.
Strata Geosystems –the world’s leading manufacturer of geosynthetic products– advocates low-carbon alternatives to basic construction functions such as soil stabilisation, wall reinforcement and separation of layers through the use of geosynthetics. The aim of a construction project is twofold – cost optimisation paired with longevity. The incorporation of lower carbon concrete and innovative asphalt solutions propels the industry towards a greener future, demonstrating the transformative power of material choices. By reducing the need for subgrade stabilisation, ground improvement, minimising the time taken for wet ground to dry, reduced transportation cost for trucks ferrying materials, and protecting groundwater from contamination through the use of geocomposites. Many costs [be it financial, or ecological] get minimised by simpler, and more effective soil stabilisation techniques.
The thickness of road layers is a key yet impactful lever for carbon reduction. Strata Geosystems encourages finding the optimal balance in soil/traffic dynamics during the design phase through its design consulting services. This not only optimises the road’s performance but also contributes to an overall reduction in the project’s carbon footprint. In many instances, depending on the terrain, pavement thickness design is determined by the temperature, soil compactness, angle of repose for soil, among a list of other factors. This in turn affects the planning and designing of the pavement to be constructed. In case of applications, where soil reinforcement is required, soil plasticity is improved through the use of geogrids [biaxial or uniaxial depending on the type of pavement] and thus allowing optimal pavement thickness.
Whether you’re building a road in a water saturated coastal belt or in an arid desert, the need for design intervention with sustainability is key. Here, we assist each project with the evaluation stage, find the right mix of products to address the foundation design, minimise the maintenance cycle, and overall enhance longevity. For example, StrataGrid is a PET grid designed for wall slopes and embankments for soil reinforcement. Be it weak soil, high water content, groundwater contamination, or erosion control –all of these instances need soil stabilisation. The most common method of achieving this is mechanical soil stabilisation –which includes compaction of soil, mixing it with other matter such as nano materials, lime, fly ash, etc, and reinforcing it. However, geogrids provide an alternative by being layered between subgrade, and aggregate and acts as a reinforcement layer which distributes loads, prevents soil erosion and fixes the soil. As a result, it affects the ability of the soil to resist internal and external forces leading to slope failure. The design process takes into account soil composition: mineralogy, grain size and grain size distribution, shape of particles, pore fluid type and content, ions on grain and in pore fluid.
Due to the high tensile strength of geogrids the shear strength of soil sees an improvement. This in turn means you’re looking at the durability of the paved road, no matter where your project takes you.
Right from understanding the purpose of geogrids, to its benefits, how they work to cost considerations – there are many questions around the usage of geogrids in highway construction. With the benefits of overall material minimisation, these products are a viable and sustainable long term solution for roadways. Depending on the site, the specifications of the roll you use will change, as will the aperture and tensile strength of the geogrid. Road engineers may find a wide range of unexpected conditions during road construction –right from water logging, top soil erosion, to soft soil. The cost of geogrid installation varies from project to project. Here, we address the most common questions we receive.
The most common application of geogrid is soil stabilisation across a wide range of industries – be it highways, railways, airports, haul roads or trafficked roads. However, they are used for retention walls, slope stabilisation, embankment reinforcement where there’s weak soil. Railway trackbeds also are common sites for geogrid usage to stabilise the subgrade over which the tracks are laid, and to minimise the maintenance costs.
Geogrids can be used across all types of roads. Right from national highways, state highways, district highways, parking lots, unpaved roads, asphalt roads, haul roads, and ports, the options are numerous. The decision to use a specific type of uniaxial, biaxial, geogrid depends on factors such as soil conditions, traffic loads, and the specific requirements of the project. Since products such as StrataGrid® are made from high tensile polyester, they are also able to withstand extreme Ph conditions, and water levels, and work efficiently to distribute loads for a range of subgrade types.
While geogrids are often deployed in soft soil conditions to improve stability and prevent issues such as rutting, we recommend evaluating the project specifics to understand all the different soil types where it can be used. For example, in cohesive soils, geogrids can help raise load bearing capacity and reduce settlement, while in granular soils, StrataGrid® will improve load distribution and reduce rutting. Since our geogrids are made from polyester yarns, they are precision knitted into a dimensionally stable, uniform network of apertures providing significant tensile strength. Our Soil Interaction Coefficients for Pullout (Ci ) and Direct Sliding (Cds) for SGU Series (uniaxial geogrid) allows for usage across silts/clay, sandy silts and clay, Poorly-Graded Sand and Gravel, Silty Sand, and also for Well-Graded Gravel, Sand Gravel Mix, Well-Graded Sand.
For issues pertaining to soil stabilisation, the most common function of geogrids is subgrade improvement. However, the selection and design of geogrids require consideration of soil type, including its gradation, compaction, and shear strength characteristics, as well as the expected loading conditions, including static and dynamic loads. For example, our uniaxial geogrid variants alone are capable of withstanding up to 160kN/m when tested by the ASTM D 6637 Method B Wide-Width method. Whether the project demands biaxial geogrid, geocell, or a geotextile, or the whole StrataWall™ altogether needs to be determined.
Pavement design is a branch of engineering that involves traffic analysis, subgrade evaluation, material selection, thickness design, drainage design, construction specification alongside a clear understanding of the resource planning and requirements of the site. Geogrid usage falls within the remit of evaluating subgrade quality, and using geosynthetics to strengthen, reinforce and enhance the stability of the overall structure. Geogrids therefore fall under the pavement design practice and cannot replace the need for a site consultant who specialises in the practice and is a licensed professional.
Geogrids can be used under both asphalt and concrete surfaces. With both materials, the impact and result of geogrid usage varies. In asphalt pavements, the roll is placed between the base and subbase layers or within the asphalt layer itself to improve the pavement’s resistance to fatigue cracking and rutting. By distributing the load, the joints of geogrid reduce the stress on the pavement and extend its service life. In case of concrete pavements, it enhances resistance against cracking and minimises the occurrence of joint spalling. Geogrids are also utilised to reinforce concrete overlays on existing pavements. Be it pavement rehabilitation, pavement widening, erosion control or isolated soil stabilisation –these highly flexible rolls can be deployed across all of these instances.
Geogrids are grid-like intersecting structures made from polymers with openings, or apertures that allow soil particles to interlock with the grid material. By interlocking with the material over which it’s laid, they prevent soil from getting dislodged or impairs lateral movement. This core effect of a geogrid installation is that it improves the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) value or resilient modulus (Mr) value for subgrade. Note: at this point, we won’t dive into the relative conversion metrics for both measures, but instead focus on the net impact on subgrade quality. In turn, it minimises the need for a thicker pavement, and helps bring down material costs. Choosing a specific type of geogrid is dependent on the CBR value of the sub-base soil. Geogrids help with load distribution and as such allow the reinforced pavement to carry heavier loads. Therefore offering two fold cost savings on a road development, or improvement project. With proper design, planning and use of Strata Geosystem Products one can achieve a cost effective pavement system and minimise carbon emmision.
The entire lifecycle of roadways construction and management benefits with the use of geosynthetics. Whether it’s in the need for excavation for subgrade, need for additional materials for strengthening, or prevention against other climatic factors. Therefore, while achieving net carbon neutrality might be some way away, today, with a plethora of products we can encourage better processes in highway engineering.
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Director, President – Glen Raven Technical Fabrics
Strata/Glen Raven tenure: 10 years/28 years
Total industry experience: 35 years
MBA – Wake Forest University
Directs the strategic direction of Glen Raven’s automotive, protective apparel, military, geogrid, outdoor and logistic businesses.
Director, General Manager, Strata Inc.
Strata/Strata Inc. tenure: 3 years/14 years
Total industry experience: 25 years
MBA – Georgia State University
Led the integration of Strata Inc. business operations into the headquarters of GRTF and transition from USA based to India based manufacturing.
Director
Strata tenure: 17 years
Total industry experience: 47 years
CA – ICA
Played a key role in the establishment of Strata’s India operations. Provides vision for product innovation and leveraging new technology trends.
Global Technical Sales Director
Strata tenure: 7 years
Total industry experience: 32 years
Civil & Geotechnical Engineer (First class)
Provides highly technical and innovative civil engineering solutions in India and around the world. Responsible for the design and execution of large-scale geotechnical projects around the world including Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and South America.
CTO – Chief Technology Officer
Strata tenure: 9 years
Total industry experience: 48 years
BTech (Hons), MTech (Civil) Both IIT Bombay, DMS (Bombay University), FIE, FIGS, Chartered Engineer
Streamlines the designs of Geosynthetics and has brought innovation in geogrid and geocell design application.
COO – Projects and Sales
Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 24 years
MBA – University of Gujarat
Leads the monetization of products and solutions while ensuring highest execution quality and project profitability.
COO – Technical Textiles
Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 33 years
BE (Mechanical) – Nagpur University
Drives excellence in process design, product features and cost effectiveness in production.
CFO – Chief Financial Officer
Strata tenure: 8 years
Total industry experience: 35 years
CA – ICA, ICWA – ICWAI
Leads the finance, accounting, taxation, commercial, legal and IT functions and assisting on all strategic and operational matters.
CDO – Chief Development Officer
Strata tenure: 10 years
Total industry experience: 13 years
MBA – ISB, Hyderabad
Leads diversification of the product portfolio, monetizing the new products and ensuring successful sustained financial growth of the company top line.
CEO – Chief Executive Officer
Strata tenure: 14 years
Total industry experience: 42 years
B Tech (Chemical) – IIT Delhi
Leads day-to-day business operations of the company with focus on capacity expansion, product and process improvement.
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