CONSTRUCTIONS
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The EPS expanded polystyrene geofoam is a rectangle parallelepiped prism formed industrial product and it consists of thermally glued expanded polystyrene cells. Its main properties are low weight and great compressibility, two advantages that make it particularly suitable in geotechnical applications, where it is used since the 60s. EPS geofoam is 1% the weight of the ground and less than 10% the weight of alternative fill products, thus relieving the ground and the constructions from loads. |
The geofoam products are categorized based on their compressive strength to 10% distortion in:
EPS 50/60/80/100/120/150/200.
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STYROPAN EPS GEOFOAM products are CE certified based on the EN 14933 standard: “Thermal insulation and light weight fill products for civil engineering applications – Factory made products from expanded polystyrene (EPS) – standard”. As far as reaction to fire is concerned, they are listed in category E according to the EN 13501-1 standard. |
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Styropan EPS GEOFOAM is used in:
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Its low weight and its particular mechanical behavior make EPS geofoam a reliable solution when constructing light weight embankments on soft and compressed ground. Geofoam weighs anywhere from 0.5% to 2.5% of conventional embankments’ weight and during its application, the natural ground amelioration works are minimized. In addition, subsidence issues are also minimized, and the project maintenance cost is reduced.
Light weight embankments can be divided into sub-categories:
- road embankments (larger number of applications)
- transitional embankments in bridges
- restoration embankments / stability amelioration of slopes
- light weight embankments over underground constructions
- light weight embankments for landscape shaping.
Making roads must sometimes take place over soft or loose soil which cannot support vertical loads. Geofoam EPS can provide solutions as:
- The weight of the construction itself is reduced
- No time-consuming works are required to ameliorate the compressibility of the natural ground bed (e.g. preloading embankment, fixation)
- The construction time is reduced
- The maintenance costs are also reduced during the project.
EPS replaces part or the whole embankment and it is installed interlocked with the existing embankment or other constructions. The material is covered in its circumference with insulating materials and embankment, so that it may be protected against petroleum products’ spillage, fire and elevation due to lift.
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In Greece, the first application took place on the Α1 Motorway (Patras-Athens-Thessaloniki-Evzonoi) in the area of Malakasa and later to the same Motorway in the area of Skarfeia-Thermopyles. In both cases, the geotechnical conditions were extremely unfavorable, while during the initial conventional embankment construction, there was a large-scale failure (foundation subsidence up to 2.5 meters). By using geofoam, the subsidence stopped, and the construction time was dramatically reduced.
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The use of geofoam in transitional embankments of bridges leads to weight reduction of the construction, minimal subsidence of the compressed subsoil layer while it provides the possibility of forming vertical slopes. A huge advantage of the geofoam use is the embankments’ static and dynamic (seismic) load reduction.
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By using Geofoam EPS, we reduce the active sliding mass, we provide the vertical façade construction capacity and we increase the safety factor. At the same time, rapid reconstruction of roads in subsidence areas is made possible.
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With the use of Geofoam EPS, we achieve a considerable load reduction in underground constructions while we provide the soil level elevation capacity without overloading the existing infrastructure. To the left you can see an embankment construction using geofoam, elevating the soil level for about 5 m in order to make a road over an underground subway terminal station in Dusseldorf, Germany. |
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In order to remodel a landscape, it is possible to construct an embankment by using Geofoam EPS. To the right you can see such a construct in Hamburg, Germany on top of a motorway tunnel, where there the soil has been covered with trees. The result is a considerable aesthetic improvement with minimal load for the underlying infrastructure. |
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The construction of railroad embankments is another substantial application of Geofoam EPS. One of the most important factors for safety and reliability of high speed train railroads is the integrity of the embankments. In many cases, soil shocks produced by high speed trains have caused serious issues. The faults observed consist of soil failure or slope instability of the embankment itself. Taking into account that expanded polystyrene has been used in motorway embankments, its use in railroad embankments is a promising application. |
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It is known that approximately one third of the Netherlands territory is below sea level. Among these areas is Amsterdam and its international airport. According to recent estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the sea level is expected to increase about 60 cm until 2100. This will lead to submersion of two thirds of the Netherlands. In order to counter this threat, flood resistant houses, floating islands, or even cities, are being designed and built. |
The constructing companies have customers in the Netherlands and abroad as well as hundreds of orders for homes that are partially on water, over a polystyrene (EPS) and concrete base that offers additional insulation capacity against low temperatures. A Dutch company has built five floating islands for the government of Maldives in 2015. This project with a budget of 500 million dollars, included the creation of golf courts and a floating, star shaped convention center spanning over 610,000 m2.
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Geofoam EPS can be used as means of isolation (compressed insert) in Civil Engineering projects against static and seismic soil loads. In areas with intense seismic activity (such as Greece), the ground retention constructions design (e.g. reinforced concrete, gravity retention walls or cantilevers, bridge pedestals or underground space walls) must be built so that they remain stable under the combined static and seismic activity. |
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STYROPAN EPS geofoam can be used as a fill material in strap beam footing systems for the foundation of building projects. It has been proven that the said EPS use leads to more cost-effective dimension planning of plates and that it is a technical solution which combines speed, practicality, cost saving and safety. |
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| Use of shuttering and landfill | Use of STYROPAN EPS Geofoam | ||
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Time-consuming process |  |
Procedure speed (plate type concreting) |
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Crews exchange | |
Minimum construction crews |
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Large failure margins | |
Zero failures |
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Differential settlement – embankment subsidence | |
Unified strength – isotropic material (and seismic protection) |
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High construction cost | |
Construction cost minimization |
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Reinforced concrete reduction |
| Use of shuttering and landfill | Use of STYROPAN EPS Geofoam | ||
|
Time-consuming process | |
Procedure speed (plate type concreting) |
|
Crews exchange | |
Minimum construction crews |
|
Large failure margins | |
Zero failures |
|
Differential settlement – embankment subsidence | |
Unified strength – isotropic material (and seismic protection) |
|
High construction cost | |
Construction cost minimization |
|
Reinforced concrete reduction |
